Undertale: Chronicle - 3 - Sole Sufferer
by TheOriginalTale
Summary: Everyone has a secret. But not all secrets can remain hidden forever. Sooner or later, the truth finds a way to reveal itself. The first ever installment in the Undertale: Chronicle AU.
1. Soulbirth

Gaster straightened himself as he knocked sharply on the door of Asgore's home. Three raps, in quick succession, before the skeleton folded his hands behind his back. Asgore curiously opened the door, then smiled warmly at Gaster, giving him a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Ah, you've arrived! Do come in." Gaster nodded as he straightened his coat, stepping inside at Asgore's invitation.

"Thank you again for the invitation, your majesty."

Asgore chuckled. "Oh come on Dings, drop the formalities! You're here as a dinner guest, not official business."

Gaster held his neutral expression. "If you insist Asgore." He slid his black coat off, hanging it up in the coat closet before following Asgore further into his home. It had been nearly twenty years since the war had ended and the monsters had been sealed underground. Gaster had worked day and night ever since they had been trapped, trying to find a way out. There had been several devices he had tried to make, ranging from magic cannons, to battering rams, to drills to pick away at the barrier. However, his efforts had been in vain.

Hope for a quick escape had faded as the weeks stretched into months, which stretched into years. As time went on, Asgore slowly managed to convince him to shift his inventive focus and energies on work to better suit life underground. Gaster now busied himself with smaller experiments.

Toriel looked up as Gaster entered the dining room, carrying a pot of spaghetti. The juicy aroma of the sauce hit Gaster almost immediately. The pure white flecks of the parmesan cheese were just visible on the surface, blending perfectly with the sauce and long stringy noodles. It was one of his favourites, no doubt not an accident. Toriel gave him a sympathetic smile as she spotted him.

"Ah, hello Doctor. How are you doing?" Gaster's thoughts snapped from the delicious smell and he cleared his throat.

"As well as can be, I suppose."

Toriel set the pot down on the table."You are hanging in there? I know this day can be difficult for you."

Gaster sighed. "Day by day." This day marked not just the anniversary of the war's end, but what would have been his 25th anniversary with Amelia. His wife had been a commander in the Royal Guard, and had been killed in the final hours of the war. "A quick, painless death by the blade of a sword", Gerson had said when Gaster received the news at his doorstep, his wife's dust in a ceremonial vase. Usually, Gaster didn't think about, or discuss the past, especially the events of this day in particular; he much preferred to look forward. But, no matter how much he tried to bury the memories, they always found a way of resurfacing.

Realizing how difficult the day would be, as well as hoping to get Gaster out of his shell and maintain a good relationship with his subjects, Asgore had decided to invite Gaster over to the home for dinner.

There was an awkward silence as the trio sat down and began to eat, broken only when Gaster occasionally complimented the queen on her cooking. When they were nearly finished, Toriel glanced over to Asgore, clearing her throat to try to convince him to say something to lighten the mood. Asgore took the hint, and racked his mind for something to say. He tried to think of a way to cheer Gaster up, but he hadn't seen him around for some time. Then he remembered a reason why Gaster didn't come out a whole lot. He didn't know much - only that Gaster was working on a second project, one that he hadn't spoken to Asgore about.

"You've been quite involved in research for the past few months, I've noticed you've made several late night trips to the palace library. You know I woke up in the middle of the night once and saw you up studying."

Gaster looked up for a brief moment, before returning to his meal. "Well, obviously projects require research. I'm simply making sure I know everything I need to know before I fully begin."

Asgore looked curious. "All of your projects you've usually spoken to me about, yet not this one. You've honestly been somewhat quiet for the past few months about...well, everything. Would you mind enlightening us as to the nature of this new project?"

Gaster stiffened, and Asgore noticed the twinge. Gaster usually was very open about his exploits, and enjoyed discussing them. His latest idea, however, was apparently not one of them.

"Please take no offense Asgore, but this project is much more...personal. If it's all the same to you, I would rather not discuss it openly."

Asgore frowned, puzzled by the reaction. It was highly unlike his old friend. Toriel responded before Asgore could.

"Has the library been able to provide you with what you require?"

Gaster seemed satisfied. "As a matter of a fact, it has."

Asgore followed up the question. "I remember at one point you were saying you had a slim thought of potentially hiring an intern. If you would like, I can spread word and try to find you a candidate to assist you! Two minds are often better than one after all."

Gaster nodded. "I appreciate the consideration, but I'll be just fine on my own."

There was another long silence as the meal concluded. Anxious to end on a high note, Toriel decided to break the news.

"Gorey and I have some big news as well."

Gaster was instantly curious. "Oh? Do tell!"

Toriel looked to Asgore who gave a tiny nod to say it was alright to say. "We were not planning on making the announcement for another week, but I feel it is fine to tell you. We, are going to have a child!"

If Gaster had eye sockets, he would have raised them as his eyes brightened.

"That's incredible! How long have you known?"

Asgore responded this time. "Three weeks, we suspect it will be a prince!"

Gaster smiled, the first smile that had been seen from the typically reserved scientist in years. "This is wonderful! Have you decided on a name?"

Toriel smiled broadly at the reaction. "We were thinking...Asriel."

Gaster chuckled once, recognizing the combination of their names. Still, he wanted to hear the king and queen's explanation "It sounds fit for a prince. Why'd you choose Asriel if I may ask?"

Toriel giggled and nudged Asgore. "You know how Gorey is with names. Heaven knows I should have chosen the name for New Home instead of him. He's got the creativity of an acorn."

Gaster found himself giving a snort of amusement at the comment as Asgore grew red in the fact. Still, Asgore was glad to see Gaster laughing. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen the scientist in such a bright mood. Still giggling, Toriel stood up.

"Are we ready for desert?" Gaster nodded again, having just finished the plate. Immediately Toriel left, returning moments later with a freshly made pie. Gaster couldn't deny that when it came to baking, Toriel had what could only be described as a gift. The remainder of the meal was much more pleasant, much to Asgore and Toriel's delight. When Gaster finished his second slice of pie, he stood up and pushed the chair back in behind the table.

"I do apologize, but I must make my leave, my work awaits me."

Asgore stood up as well, walking with Gaster to the door as he fetched his white coat.

"I wish you all the best Asgore, this is news that the kingdom will no doubt be more than pleased to hear."

Asgore chuckled. "Thank you, my friend. Good luck on your work!" Gaster started to leave but Asgore spoke after him.

"Are you sure you're going to be fine? I know the...memories that this day brings aren't the most pleasant."

Gaster paused, and hunched his shoulders with a heavy sigh. "I'll be fine. We all have to take one step at a time."

Asgore nodded, speaking to himself. "Indeed…" Gaster heard the door close behind him. He shook his head and straightened himself, beginning the walk across New Home back to his house, one of the few buildings sitting on the outskirts.

He avoided the curious gazes of the other residents of New Home as he walked. His face was certainly known in the community, and drew curious gazes when he was around. His rare appearances gave him an air of mysteriousness, although he was not particularly pleased about that, electing to simply keep his head down as he walked home. Any monster forward enough to wish him a good evening received only a nod, occasionally joined with a quiet grunt. A more elderly voice suddenly called to him.

"Well, look who it is!" Gaster looked up, and spotted Gerson leaning over the counter of a small shop he had set up in a marketplace. Gaster nodded to the retired veteran.

"Good evening Gerson."

Gerson tipped his head. "What brings you into town? You usually don't come around here!"

"I was just visiting a friend. If you'll excuse me, I need to be returning home."

Gerson gave a hearty chuckle, waving. "Alrighty, don't be a stranger!" Gaster gave only a non-verbal acknowledgement, before beginning to walk again.

He much preferred to stay in the solitude of his home office. There had once been a time when he would have been much more open. But, those days were long since passed. Soon he pushed the door open, locking it behind him.

Many of the rooms were darkened and cluttered from various tools, books, and notes scattered around the home. This was where Gaster conducted his small experiments - the ones he was willing to share with the public, should they be brought up.

He removed three books from a bookcase on the wall, and took out a small key he kept in his pocket. Behind the books sat a lock with a pin to keep the bookcase from sliding. He slipped the key into the lock, before pulling the pin back. He slid the bookcase to the side, revealing a staircase spiraling downward behind it. Setting the books back, Gaster walked through the door, turning around to pull the bookcase back into place. He placed one hand on the railing as he began to descend down the flights of stairs.

At the bottom, there was a second locked door, an extra precaution Gaster had. This one was guarded by a simple padlock. The lock gave small clicks as he turned it left, then right, then back to the left again. Soon a louder click sounded as the door unlocked. He pushed it open and pulled it closed, once more locking it behind him.

As Gaster stepped into the underground laboratory, he flipped a switch up on the wall, and overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the palish grey walls. Turning left down the hallway, he made his way to his private study, turning a reading lamp on. Gaster sighed as he took his seat. Books were piled up on the desk, and there were dozens upon dozens of notes accompanying them. He looked over the notes again.

"Soulbirth," he had called the project. The creation of an artificial soul. It had been something on his mind for years; even before the war he had thoughts on the very idea. After the war ended in a monster defeat, he had decided not to go ahead with the project. The grief over losing Amelia had been too much for him to cope with such a large task at the time. Not to mention, with the fall of the kingdom on the surface, he had been forced to abandon his study on the surface, and start with only the few books he had managed to smuggle underground.

With time though, it had begun to creep back into his mind and now, it was just within his grasp. He glanced up to two containment pods, each holding fragments of pale souls. They had yet to be fully formed.

Still though, it was a start. For his ninth attempt, he had to make two souls. Originally he had only started with one soul, to try to understand the scale of the problem. When this soul failed however, he had tried to make several at a time, having a total of eight in pods on the shelves, each one in slightly different conditions. In some cases, the souls never formed. Most of the cases the growth of the soul progressed slowly, and in some cases stopped entirely.

However there was the one soul, what he considered the eighth attempt, that did fully form. But, the soul had been distorted and misshapen, so he had to purge it. When he attempted to do so, the soul had almost looked to be fighting back, and the pod exploded. In the explosion, the other pods sitting close by were damaged beyond repair, and he had to rebuild from scratch. In hindsight, he should've fabricated a protective cover, considering how fragile the glass containers were.

Now though with raw materials required for the project running thin, Gaster was only able to make two more with what he had left. He was hesitant to ask for more, as he knew Asgore might begin to ask questions. It was likely that he would continue to poke around further when Gaster would refuse to answer these questions. So far, everything had been proceeding smoothly. week and the souls would be fully formed. That would leave another problem, the need for hosts for the souls. He shook his head. One thing at a time. Looking away he opened up the journal, turning to the first empty page, and began to write.

"Test 9, day 12, Entry 29: The two souls appear to be coming along nicely. While still fragments, the souls are beginning to take form. Both of them are still stable in the adjusted conditions, a promising start. I increased the pressure inside the pods by 12%, which should encourage growth as according to tests 3 and 5. The soul fragments have now multiplied, and have begun growing more attracted to one another; the largest group is approximately 7 cm in diameter. I am predicting that if all goes well, the souls should be fully formed within another seven days and nine hours. However, I would rather not get my hopes up just yet. After all, seven of the previous nine experiments showed similar signs of progress, and ended up being inadequate. I would be lying if I said I was somewhat anxious for this to work. I've committed years of research into this project. I feel like I'm so close to finding the solution. I fear that if this next experiment fails, I will be forced to abandon the project for good."

He continued to stare at the souls, watching as the fragments floated in the containment pod. Slowly the heavy weight of sleep caught up to him, and he found himself peacefully nodding off at his desk. The battery powered lights suddenly flickered again, before they too went out, leaving the sleeping scientist in the dark.


	2. A Breakthrough

The gravel crunched beneath Gaster's shoes as he began to enter the sweltering heat of Hotland. The scientist wore his white lab coat, a special name badge clipped onto the pocket with a pen tucked away. Beneath his left arm were several rolls of blueprint paper, and his right hand was carrying a clipboard on which a neat stapled report was resting. The contents of these rolled up papers were the designs for what Gaster hoped would be his greatest invention.

Although electricity was in use in the Underground, it was still treated as a novelty; all it had been used for so far was simply having some lights dimly illuminate a room. This wasn't anything magic couldn't accomplish, or even a simple oil lamp. The scientist, of course, found some other technical uses in experiments, but they weren't applications the general public needed.

However, in the human books and newspapers that he had collected over the years, he found that the surface world, now without magic, had been relying on all sorts of intricate contraptions and inventions to sustain advanced civilization - most notably, electricity. If he had decoded the vocabulary correctly, electricity had far, _far_ more potential than simple flickering light shows.

To realize this potential, however, he would need to first provide the supply, before any demand could be raised. He would need a large power generator, capable of powering the entire Underground. He had proposed the idea to Asgore several months ago, listing just a few of the infinitude of applications in his presentation. He had also made it clear that it would be necessary to familiarize the Underground to surface technology if the barrier was ever to be broken. Dazzled by Gaster's grand visions and trusting in the scientist's experience as a visionary, Asgore and his advisors had approved the project and its requested funding. Now, five months later, Gaster had finally completed his designs, and construction was slated to begin.

He spotted Asgore and the chief construction foreman speaking quietly by a wooden table. They both looked up as Gaster approached. Asgore was wearing the purple royal robes today as opposed to the casual clothes seen at the dinner the night before. The golden pauldrons on his shoulders were polished enough to gleam from the light given off by the magma chambers.

Gaster nodded at both of them as he stopped by the table. Asgore took a deep breath, and Gaster noticed Asgore was sweating profusely - likely not due to nervousness rather than his fur trapping in the heat. Gaster recalled his initial pitch to Asgore, when the king showed hesitation to build the Core in Gaster's desired location.

"So Doctor, why does this 'Core' need to be built in Hotland?"

Gaster had answered the king's question immediately, having asked himself the same question while brainstorming. "In the underground, there are not many sources of power that can be harnessed. The humans on the surface are known to use a number of sources of power. A common one is the power of the sun and wind, but the underground has little of either. I have also read that they use the energy from fast flowing rivers, but the tranquil ones in Waterfall are not powerful enough. Humans are also known to use the heat of fire as a power source, burning some sort of strange rock I do not know of to power their machines, but given that we have such a massive source of heat in Hotland, there is no reason we cannot directly harness it. It is most convenient of all of the options we have, and we certainly are in no shortage of heat."

He didn't bother explaining exactly how the Core would operate - it followed a model which is known technically as the Rankine cycle, consisting of several components carefully pumping, heating, and recooling water into steam and back into water. He had grown used to having to simplify the advanced technical concepts to almost everybody who asked of his projects.

The following week he had met with the construction foreman in Hotland.

"So yer saying we gotta build this beast over them lava pools and cliffs?"

Gaster had corrected him. "That would only be the primary portion. Although a large amount of the heat input is being transformed into power, for technical reasons there will be significant excess amount of heat that needs to be released. If it remains trapped for too long, at best it would cause a complete system shutdown, and at worst, the Core could explode. In order to let off this heat, we will need to make the system an open cycle. We will pipe in water from the rivers in Waterfall, and the heat will turn the water into steam, driving the turbines. The steam can then be ejected into Hotland."

Over the following months the foreman and Gaster had met several times, and had worked on reducing the complexity of the Core's base structure to shorten construction time. Over time Gaster had ironed out the details, determining how much water would need to be piped in, how to design the turbines, and where to place the ventilation systems, among other smaller details. They eventually agreed to space the vents out significantly all over Hotland to avoid the steam becoming a hazard. Gaster has finalized the plans a week prior to the present meeting. Now, they met one final time with Asgore before the project.

Asgore took one look over the final plans before handing them to the foreman and looking into the distance. "Ten years from now, the Underground will have a ready supply of electricity. "

The construction advisor sounded uncertain, yet optimistic. "If everyone works hard, we sure will yer majesty. Hopefully everything goes according to plan - we've never quite done a project this big before, or in such an environment."

Gaster nodded firmly. "This is a fair estimate."

Asgore nodded. "Good. I'll have someone close off this entire area so you don't get unwanted visitors putting themself in danger. I would like for construction of this to begin by the end of the week. I wish you good luck in the project."

The foreman snatched his copy of the blueprents off the table. That was the pair that had been translated out of wingdings for the foreman.

"I will be coming by at least once a week to inspect the progress and make sure everything is going according to plan. It is absolutely crucial that we get this right the first time. Should you at any time have questions for me, please do not hesitate to ask."

The foreman smirked and nodded. "You got it doc." He then made his leave to return to New Home, to give his final briefing to his construction team. Asgore looked to Gaster.

"I take it you need to return to your lab?"

Gaster nodded. "Indeed. My apologies that I am not able to socialize."

As Gaster began to walk away, Asgore asked a final question. "I don't suppose you would be willing to enlighten me on this other project now that we're alone?"

Gaster spoke over his shoulder. "Another time your majesty, another time."

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**The following portion of the chapter contains scenes that some readers might find triggering or disturbing. If you are extremely sensitive, I advise you stop reading this chapter here. A very brief summary of what you missed will be provided in chapter 3 upon its release.**

**Proceed at your own discretion.**

* * *

The bookcase slid aside once more as Gaster began to descend back into the lab. He had kept to his promise, and inspected the building site earlier that day, a week after their meeting. So far things were progressing smoothly, although so far only minor scaffolding and foundation laying had been completed. This was expected - for a project on such an unprecedented scale, they would need plenty of time to set up any skeletal work. He unlocked the lab and tried the lights, only to find nothing. Frowning, he flicked the switch again - still nothing.

Gaster grumbled as he felt along the wall for a candle he kept close by in such a scenario. When he managed to light it, he turned right, to a supply closet, searching for the batteries. Once he found them, he groaned when he saw that they were dead. It wasn't a major fix, but it was quite tedious to have to swap the bulky voltaic cells twice a day. Even he couldn't wait for the day when the batteries would be another thought to sweep away.

He still had a few replacement cells, although at the rate he was going through them he would have to manufacture some more. After retrieving one from storage, and awkwardly lugging it over, he swapped out the batteries. He pinched the wick of the candle, extinguishing the flame as the lights immediately turned on behind him. Huffing in small satisfaction, Gaster turned and walked to his study. He prepared to go to his desk, and he glanced once at the now fully formed souls. He suddenly froze and did a double take, staring at the souls, his jaw almost dropping.

He scrambled to test the two souls, anxious to discover their condition. His eyes glimmered and a small chuckle turned into both relieved and joyous laughter as he observed their conditions. He could hardly believe it. Years of work and research, and finally he had done it. His hands fumbled with the journal as he scrambled to tug it out.

"Test 9, day 20, entry 39: I've finally succeeded it! The souls have been fully formed. I have run final tests, and both souls show to be in perfect condition - emotogen levels are nominal at an average of 12 units per cycle, and beta determinants are stable at a concentration of 32%. I am anxious to measure the statistics of these souls, but this will be impossible until they have hosts. It's a very promising start. Test 9 has been marked as a success. I can now proceed to stage two of Soulbirth - finding a host for the souls to be present in."

As Gaster shut the journal, he immediately frowned. He was now facing a second problem - the need for a host. He had already given the issue some thought, but was not particularly pleased with his conclusion. Asking for volunteers was out of the question - Asgore would begin to poke deeper if word got out that Gaster was looking for volunteers. Even if he found a willing host who would keep their mouth shut, there were other issues.

A monster could not absorb another monster's soul. Only a human could, and it was all too obvious there would be no humans visiting them anytime soon. In the extremely unlikely event that a human fell down he would not have access to them, and even if he did, he feared that doing so would give the human a dangerous amount of power. The combination of all of these concerns meant it was wholly infeasible.

If it was impossible for him to use a monster as a host, and using a human was out of the question, he would need to find a way to create a host artificially. The creation of bodies for the two souls would be a completely new challenge in itself, as he was once more entering territory that nobody had ever explored before. He was far from losing hope, however - he knew that the natural growth of a baby monster was relatively simple, and he expected the creation of the soul to be the hardest part in this project.

He had reasoned that he would still require a volunteer to provide DNA in a large enough sample that it could be used to create a body. But, such a procedure would be an incredible risk. Not to mention, he wasn't entirely a medical doctor; he only truly knew the biology of his own kind - skeletons - and he was the last of his kind. He was left with only one conclusion.

Gaster stood up and gazed at the two souls, speaking quietly. "Soon...very soon…" He opened the drawer and pulled out one of many sharp tools he had around the lab. He then fished around in the small medicine cabinet, taking out a bottle of calcium pills. The pills worked as a type of painkiller for him; Gaster had discovered their potential when he had a migraine once and was trying everything in his cabinet. He now kept a supply for more serious cases, and this would certainly be one of them. He downed two of them, with a gulp of water from a small cup he kept on his desk.

Taking a deep breath he sat down in the chair again, trying to keep his right hand from shaking. He would need to keep his eyes open for the delicate procedure. At the last minute he racked his skull for another way, but concluded just as quickly there was none. He raised the sharp tool up and brought it down on his left hand.

His breath hitched and he quickly clamped his jaw shut, stifling a scream of pain. While the pills did help to numb some of the pain, it was still more painful than almost anything he had experienced - perhaps only bested by the loss of his wife. He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing his hand to be able to adjust to the feeling before beginning the painful process.

Groaning through the pain, which despite being numbed was still excruciating, Gaster slowly drove the blade through and around his hand. When he was halfway around, he paused, taking deep breaths, trying to focus on the task at hand and not the pain. Groaning he pressed on, slowly letting the blade cut through bone, until at last there was a small clatter.

Immediately Gaster whipped the tool out and set it on the table. He gasped as he lifted his hand up, clutching it tight with his right hand. He leaned over, trying to keep himself calm. The circular portion of bone was left behind on the desk. Gaster would only be enough to create one host.

Shaking his head, Gaster managed to pick up the tool with his other hand. This time, he was more prepared for the pain that awaited him. He managed to keep his voice down to a dull groan as he gritted his teeth together, trying desperately to ignore the blade digging into the bone. Once again he slowly traced the blade around in a delicate circle, trying to make it as even as possible. Nearly ten minutes later, the deed was done, and a second circle was left on the table.

Gaster discarded the tool, then raised his hands, now staring through the two holes. He gave an exhausted sigh. It would all be worth it in the end, or at least he was hoping it would. With shaky hands he took two white gloves, sliding them over his hands. He stretched his fingers out, wincing slightly at the dull ache left behind. The pills were already doing their work in numbing the ache. Thankfully, being a skeleton, Gaster wouldn't need to worry about bandaging the holes. All that would be present was an ache, which would fade on its own by morning.

With the gloves now on, Gaster picked up the circles of bone, and slid them into a drawer. He would need to conduct further research as to the nature of making a host. Still, for now, it was time to rest. He had earned it after all, and he would need a clear mind if he was to succeed on the first attempt. This time, there would be no room for error. He didn't exactly have a whole ton of material he could extract.

Not to mention, he would not have much time to create the bodies either. During one of the earlier tests, he had left one of the soul attempts alone for a while. The largest fragment had begun to crack and fade even before the remaining fragments fully formed and merged. Although he didn't have direct data for full souls, he reasoned that these would likely be no different - souls without bodies to balance them typically could not last long. He didn't want to risk anything at this point. He would need to make sure he performed every action with perfect precision. There would be no room for a second attempt.


	3. Phase 2

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**If you read through the entirety of chapter 2, you can disregard this note. If you have NOT seen the second portion of chapter 2, then this is a summary of what you missed.**

**Gaster returned from the construction site to find the two souls to be fully formed, and healthy. He began to initiate "Phase 2" of Soulbirth. He was in need of a host, and he couldn't use a monster as a host, and humans are also out of the question. So, he realized he would need to make one.**

**I won't go into details, but Gaster now has two holes in each hand, and he is using the new bone samples as DNA samples for full monster bodies.**

* * *

The door locked behind Gaster as he descended into the lab. He was just returning from yet another inspection on construction progress. The outer walls and internal supports of the structure had started to be slowly filled in, although there was still a long way to go before it was complete and equipment could start to be installed. Elsewhere, the piping to bring in water from Waterfall was being laid, and a simple pump powered by a water wheel on one of the larger rivers was already functioning. Before leaving the construction site, he had pulled the foreman aside. The foreman hadn't been entirely pleased.

"Look, can you make it quick doc? Ah've got people to order around."

Gaster had nodded. "I understand. I'm just telling you that I will no longer be present at the construction site weekly as I have been."

The foreman had been surprised. "Oh? Any reason for that?"

Gaster kept his answer vague. "One of other my experiments is going to need extensive supervision, and I won't be able to find the time. I will do my best to come as frequently as I can, but I trust that you will be able to look after things to make sure the project goes smoothly."

The foreman chuckled. "We've dun alright so far, right? We'll be right as rain over here."

Gaster nodded. "Very well. Again, if you have questions, please do not hesitate to send for me." He was quite pleased that he would no longer need to visit frequently - in addition to having more time to deal with "Soulbirth," he would no longer be constantly pestered whenever he needed to check in on the construction progress. Now that something massive and physical was actually being constructed, he became even more well known than before, and curious reporters always followed him from his home to the construction site and back.

Now he once more traversed the stairs, the second door locking shut behind him. He removed the glove from his left hand to satisfy an itch around the hole. A side effect of the procedure a month ago. This was a side effect which would fade with time. At least, he hoped it would. However, instead of entering his study, he entered a seperate lab room right beside it.

Inside were two large, cuboidal, glass tanks filled with a murky white liquid. Suspended in the liquid was a skeletal body for each tank. Gaster clasped his hands behind his back as he surveyed the progress of the growth of the two bodies. He had repurposed the two aquarium tanks a few days before 'collecting' the samples in anticipation. He hadn't bothered removing the tanks from the cart they came with; instead he simply locked the wheels to the cart so it couldn't roll around. The rest of the room simply held shelves and cabinets of meticulously organized laboratory equipment. Flasks were sorted into different sizes and shapes along one set of shelves. A large cabinet along the wall held a variety of tools on one side and some raw materials on the other.

Throughout the past month, he had been letting the two bodies inside the tanks develop. The liquid contained nutrients vital for the growth of a skeleton; in particular, the large amount of dissolved hydroxyapatite - an important compound for bones - had turned the originally colourless water opaque. The last time he had taken the skeletons out to observe them, they had been coming along quite nicely. However, they still weren't larger than the bodies of a four or five year old. After all, the bodies could not possibly grow indefinitely without a soul inside; besides, the aquarium tanks could not fit a full grown skeleton. The remainder of the growth would need to be natural, after the souls had merged with their hosts.

However, right now, the two bodies did not contain the souls. Those were safe and sound in the room set up for the two subjects. He noticed one of the souls had begun to pale earlier that week, and it wouldn't be long until it started to crack. He was just in time. After setting up a small step ladder, he climbed up and rolled the sleeves of his lab coat and sweater up. Reaching into the tank, he gripped the first skeleton by the shoulders, gently lifting it up and out of the tank.

After holding it above the tank for a minute for the liquid to drip off of the skeleton, he stepped off the stepladder. The skull of the one body he carried was much more round than its compatriot. Another interesting factor was that this skeleton was slightly shorter. Why the bodies formed this way, he had no idea. He had expected for them to be the same size since they were both made from the same material and in the same way.

He brought the skeleton to a third room waiting amongst the others down the hall. The room had concrete walls, along with two beds with green blankets. Also present in the room was a small wooden bookcase containing several learning books for smaller children. In the corner there was a table, set up with both pencils, markers, and some paper. Grunting, Gaster laid the shorter skeleton down in one of the beds. He then returned for the second.

He grunted as he lifted the second body up. The taller skeleton was surprisingly heavier. As he walked down the hall, he found that several times he had to jerk his shoulder to keep the body from falling to the floor, and once or twice he wobbled and nearly fell himself. He sighed when he let the skeleton down on the bed.

After one last glance at the two brothers, he took the two souls, still in their containment pods, setting one down at the foot of each bed. Taking great care, he released the seal on one of the containment pods. Now, he had to act fast. There was nothing keeping the soul from cracking, and he could already see it paling rapidly. Gaster snatched the soul, quickly bringing it to the shorter monster body. The soul paused and shivered, before managing to slide in beneath its ribcage, where Gaster lost sight of it.

He could only hope the body had accepted the soul, and vice versa. He repeated the fast procedure with the second taller body. He then made sure to lock the door to the room, sitting down in a chair beside the door. With nothing more to do, he took out his journal and sat down at the table.

"Phase 2, day 31, entry 53: The two bodies are as developed as I can hope for, and I have introduced the souls to their hosts. I am hoping that between the accelerated aging of the host and the condition of the souls, the two subjects will wake with the intellect around a seven year old child. This would advance progress significantly, as I would not need to care for two babies for several years.

"The results will not be immediate. Unfortunately, I see no way to estimate the time required for the subjects to wake up, although I am wishing for an upper bound in days. Subject 9A is likely to wake up second, as opposed to subject 9B. 9B appears to be in healthier condition, and he looks much more like an optimal specimen. 9A is slightly shorter, likely due to random variations. I do not expect this to have a significant effect on the results, however. I will take readings of the two subjects statistics one week upon their awakening, and once every week following. This process I will follow for two months. If nothing significant appears, then I will determine further course of action then. For now, all I can do is wait."

Gaster closed the journal, resting it on a small table at the edge of the room. He decided to stay in the room in the unlikely case that one of the subjects happened to wake up in a few hours. As he glanced back and forth between the two, he found himself drifting to sleep.

* * *

Gaster flinched as he felt something poke at his skull. He woke with a start, then nearly jumped out of his spine as he saw what greeted him. The skeleton that had poked him quickly stepped back, looking surprised. Gaster's eyes shot to the bed on the left of the room, and it was empty. His eyes glimmered in shock as he stared at the skeleton in front of him. He smiled broadly and shook his head in disbelief, standing up from the chair. The skeleton once again moved back. Gaster quickly knelt down to the skeleton's level.

"There's no need to be shy. You can come closer. I didn't mean to startle you." Hesitantly the skeleton approached Gaster. The skeleton then startled him further by speaking.

"W...Who are you?" Gaster expected the language rate to be that of a young child and not a baby, but he hadn't expected for the skeleton to be speaking right away.

"My name is Wing Ding Gaster. But, you can just call me Doctor Gaster." Gaster held his hand out. The skeleton looked at it curiously, and there was a moment of awkward silence as Gaster realized that the skeleton had no idea what handshaking would be. He was still a child, after all.

"Oh, I'm trying to shake your hand. It's a common greeting to show friendship. A sort of 'how do you do' if you will." The skeleton reached a hand out and slowly took Gaster's, who shook his hand gently. Immediately after, the skeleton looked to the other bed.

"See? I told you it would be alright!" Gaster's gaze focused to the other bed. In the shock over seeing one of the skeletons awake he had completely forgotten to check the other. The second, taller subject was sitting in bed, blanket pulled up to his chin. The skeleton still looked incredibly nervous, and the moment Gaster looked his way, the skeleton pulled the blanket up over his head, in an attempt to hide. Gaster couldn't help but grin with amusement as the skeleton failed to notice his feet still sticking out from the other end of the blanket. Gaster tried to reassure him.

"9A is quite right. I mean you no harm. You will be kept in optimal health in my care."

As the skeleton began to peer out, 9A tipped his head. "What's 'optimal?'" Gaster nearly hit himself in the head. He forgot again that they were still children.

"It means 'best.' In other words, you will both be at best health in my care." The second skeleton, 9B, made a strange noise, almost like he was trying to speak.

Gaster frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, could you repeat? I didn't quite catch that." 9B dropped the blanket and made a waving motion with his arms, still making the strange incomprehensible noise. 9A spoke up helpfully.

"He doesn't know how to talk like we do I think. Is something wrong with him?"

Gaster glanced down at 9A. "...No. He just needs to be taught how." 9A nodded and shrugged, returning to sit on his bed. Gaster clasped his hands behind his back.

"Right. I have work to do; I'll let you two get acquainted with each other and I'll examine your vitals in half an hour."

9A nonchalantly waved farewell, whilst 9B made an erratic waving motion with his hand as Gaster left the room.

* * *

"Phase 2, day 31, entry 54: The two subjects, 9A and 9B have woken up much sooner than anticipated, only four hours after being introduced to their souls. Already I have noticed several differences between the two. Emotionally, 9A seems to be much more nonchalant than 9B. Apart from being startled by my initial reaction, he has a surprisingly careless feel to him. 9B on the other hand seems much more quick to change emotions. He looked terrified when I first saw him, but by the end of our rather quick meeting, almost looked cheerful. There also appears to be a large intelligence gap as well. 9A appears to already be fluent in basic speech patterns and phrases. 9B however can only ever make odd sounds with his bones, and appears to not have the ability to speak at all yet. Time will tell if these differences continue.

"I spent half an hour observing the two subjects to see how the pair would react without myself in the room. 9A and 9B were constantly engaged with conversation, although I can not understand anything that comes from 9B. They were also understandably curious of their surroundings. Despite the limited furnishings in the room, they explored every nook and cranny they could find. 9B seemed to thoroughly enjoy a marble maze ball I left on the table before leaving. 9A also took interest, although he solved it in only 5 minutes and 22 seconds. 9B is still struggling significantly. 9A meanwhile has already become quite immersed in one of the learning guides present in the room. Their curiosity and friendship was exactly what I was hoping for. It helps not to need to keep them seperate, as it makes them both easier to observe, and I can monitor their connection as well.

"Surprisingly, it appears 9B is able to communicate with 9A, without using verbal language. It appears that 9A's intellect is far superior to that of 9B's. Despite the current intellect gap, they appear to have already grown somewhat attached to each other. This was not entirely unexpected, although I am surprised that it happened so soon. I performed several tests a few minutes ago. All vitals on the two subjects are showing them both to be in perfect health. While their statistics will not accurately be available for several days, it's good to know that immediately their health is optimal. Perhaps 9B will need some assistance rudimentary wise, I will need to make preparations. Phase 2, the creation of hosts has been completed. I can now move on to the third and final phase."


	4. Dangerous Abnormalities

Seven days came and went. Gaster made daily inspections on the two subjects to ensure their health stayed up. Much to his satisfaction, both had been in perfect health from day one. The third and final phase of Soulbirth, would be the raising of the two monsters to be as normal as any other. As it turned out, this phase was off to a very good start.

He had also already begun to teach 9B the most basic of verbal communication. There was a long road ahead. 9A however, was already fluent in language a couple years ahead of his equivalent age, something that surprised Gaster. He knew there would be some aspects of the two subjects that would set them apart at random. He had already noticed a number of differences - the obvious physical appearance, their personalities, interests, and intelligence. However, the massive gap between the two in their intelligence was far too significant to be fully explained by random chance, especially considering they had been formed in almost identical ways. He would have thought the knowledge between the two subjects would have been more evenly balanced, and it was one of his side tasks to discover the reason.

9B was no longer as afraid of Gaster as he was on the first day, although he still was a little bit nervous when he showed himself. Gaster assumed his size was what was intimidating 9B. 9A however had already grown to like Gaster, something Gaster was more than pleased with. The two shared several interests in the mysteries of the world, and Gaster could tell from early on that the two of them would have many interesting conversations in the future. 9A was obviously very eager to learn, as every time Gaster returned, 9A would have several questions.

Some questions were questions such as who he was, and what he was doing there. There were also other questions though that were much more difficult to answer. A couple for example were asking what was beyond the door, and why they had only ever seen Gaster himself. Gaster had not answered many of them - he simply could not afford to give a truthful answer. Yet, Gaster couldn't bring himself to blatantly lie to him. All he could do was to promise 9A that he would answer his questions at a later date. 9A wasn't very happy with the response, yet Gaster managed to convince them that this was how it had to be.

Then of course, there were other questions more related to science. Many of the scientific questions had spawned from the material he had been reading. These, Gaster had been more than happy to answer, although he simplified many of the details, from fear that 9A may not understand.

Gaster had something important that needed to be done today. As he planned, he wanted to check the statistics of the two subjects. He knew that there could be major fluctuations due to the artificial soul and bodies in the first days, so he found no reason to measure before there was time to settle in and adjust. He unlocked the door and entered the room, carrying a clipboard with a paper and pen in his left hand. 9A glanced up from the bed, reading a book on skeleton biology. 9B was still toying with the marble maze ball. Despite his efforts, 9B still hadn't been able to fully succeed. 9A closed the book and set it aside.

"Morning G, the usual check up?" G was the nickname 9A had been calling Gaster from day three. While it was slightly irritating to him, he figured he would tolerate it for now. After all, they were still children. He assumed this was simply a name 9A would outgrow as he matured.

"In a little bit. First though, I need to perform a different check of sorts. If both of you could stand perfectly still please." 9B looked up and stood up, standing rigid. Sans shrugged and slid off the bed, sauntering over before he too stood still. Although his body stayed still, his mouth did not.

"Hey, how come you call us 9A and 9B?"

Gaster glanced up from the clipboard. "Those are your names."

9A shrugged. "Just seems like a bit of an odd name."

"_Well, you're not exactly ordinary…"_ The thought flashed through Gaster's head, but he did not speak the words aloud. His left eye glowed a soft blue as he stood in front of 9B. 9A once again asked a question.

"What are you doing?"

Gaster explained while reading the stats through his mind. "I'm checking the statistics for 9B. These statistics are more based on the soul itself." 9A nodded slowly and Gaster mumbled to himself.

"Health 53, attack 5, defense 5, speed 3, strength 6, stamina 7, and magic ability 9." Gaster grunted in satisfaction. He took the pen, writing the information down on the clipboard, then spoke neutrally to 9B.

"Thank you 9B, you can resume your activities."

9B smiled. "Tank oo!" Immediately he returned to the ball. Gaster shook his head. Despite 9B not having the brainpower to be able to solve the puzzle, his unceasing determination over the past week was admirable. Gaster turned to the other skeleton.

"Enjoying the reading?"

9A grinned. "There's a lot of fascinating stuff. Could you bring some more though, I'm almost done all the books in here."

Gaster paused in surprise. "You've...nearly finished _all_ the books?"

9A shrugged. "Yeah, some of them were pretty easy."

Gaster stared at him. "Huh. Alright, I will bring in more books when I find the time. Now hold still."

9A sighed and stayed still as Gaster's eye once more glowed the soft light blue. Once more he mumbled to himself.

"Health 1, attack 1,...defense...1…speed 2, strength...1, stamina 2, magic ability...29?" He frowned. "That can't be right…"

9A tipped his head. "What's wrong?"

Gaster's voice sharpened just slightly. "Quiet." The glow in his eye disappeared, then reappeared, his frown growing as he double checked, then triple checked them. 9A could see the growing anxiety in Gaster's eyes.

"G? Everything alright?"

Gaster snapped from his thoughts, quickly writing down the stats. "It is nothing of your concern 9A. Happy reading."

As Gaster started to leave, 9A called after him. "Wait, what about the usual check up?" Gaster didn't answer, locking the door. He took a deep breath before half walking, half running back to his study where he almost slammed the door. He growled as he put his head in his hands, anger surging through him.

"No, _no, no! _This can't be true, this has to be wrong!" He tried to convince himself. Groaning he read over the note again. HP 1, ATK 1, DF 1. He blinked a few times, but his eyes were not deceiving him. He had half hoped the note would have magically changed itself before he looked at it again. Of all the developments, this was the last he wished to see. Not sure of what else to do, he opened his journal.

"Phase 3, day 7, entry 13. I have just completed checking the stats on the subjects as planned. 9B's stats are matching the average of other monsters around his age. I am most pleased to see this. Apart from his intellect which still needs work, he appears to be developing perfectly. I have great concern regarding 9A; his stats are highly abnormal. Most of the stats read either one or two. This is most alarming. I've seen newborn infants that have had higher stats than 9A. It boggles my mind how his stats could possibly be so low. On the outside, 9A looks completely healthy, but his stats are suggesting that he is in reality on the brink of death.

Also of interest is 9A's MAG stat, which is over three times as high as the average. What this implies, I have no idea. 9A has proven to be incredibly intelligent. Is there a possibility that he was aware of his 'delicate' situation? I will need to keep a very close eye on 9A moving forward."

* * *

Gaster glanced left and right once more before ducking into the palace library. He was trying to slink through the castle without being seen, something he had utterly failed at doing through the rest of New Home. He was in no mood for being stopped for conversation, much less answering questions about his business. Due to the palace being much smaller though, he was able to duck through the back hallways to his destination without being spotted. He moved up and down rapidly through the bookshelves, searching for a very particular book. As he found the book, he quickly snatched it down. He rounded the shelf, trying to make for the exit..

"Doctor?"

Gaster gasped and jumped, spinning around in surprise. He found himself face-to-face with Asgore himself. "Ah, your majesty! Forgive my reaction, you startled me."

Asgore approached curiously. "My apologies. I was beginning to worry about you, I haven't seen, or even heard at all from you for over a month now!"

Gaster spoke quickly, obviously trying to end the conversation quickly and leave. "I'm just fine your majesty, there's no need to worry about me. I'm just _very_ busy with my projects."

Asgore nodded slowly. "So I've heard. The foreman informed me that you were no longer making regular inspections due to time commitments to your other projects... Is everything alright? You look nervous-"

Gaster snapped. "Everything is fine!"

Asgore frowned, taken aback by Gaster's reaction. Gaster cleared his throat. "Apologies your majesty, I am currently under a high load of stress currently.

Asgore sighed. "I understand. Well, you seem to be in a hurry; I won't keep you any longer."

Gaster nodded quickly. "Thank you your majesty, have a good day." He turned on his heel and quickly left the library. Asgore shook his head, more confused than ever. He had just managed to get a glimpse of the title of the book Gaster carried. It was a book detailing soul statistics, and what various statistic levels could mean for monsters of various ages. Asgore thought that with Gaster's research on the barrier, he would have already known just about all there was to know.

Something was clearly bothering the scientist. The last time he had seen Gaster this anxious was when he was working to break the barrier shortly after his wife had been killed and the monster kingdom trapped. Clearly, there was something beneath the surface that Gaster was hiding.

* * *

Gaster tucked the book safely beneath his arm as he left the palace, immediately walking for the back roads. The encounter with Asgore had been too close for comfort, and he hoped Asgore hadn't seen what he was taking from the library. The back roads provided some shelter from the prying eyes. After his run-in, he wasn't terribly interested at stopping for conversation.

While he knew a great deal about souls and how they worked, this new development with 9A was alarming to say the least. He would need all the help he could get in order to find a way to solve it. He knew that there just had to be a way to improve 9A's stats, he would need to dig just a bit deeper.

This however, was not the only thought on Gaster's mind. The whole scenario had put a mountain of stress upon Gaster's shoulders, and he didn't entirely want to discuss it. 9A's question about their current names had caught Gaster off guard. While he was very used to labelling all of his experiments in a similar manner, he could not deny that the skeleton had a point. If he were to raise the two monsters, he would need to find proper names for them at some point. Not to mention it would be much easier to identify them through proper names rather than numbers and letters. But, what to call them? He decided to archive the thought in his mind for further thought later. He had higher priorities to deal with. Twenty minutes later he was walking down the stairs towards his study.

He opened the door, and set the book down on the table, before pulling open a drawer with several small tools inside. He let his bony fingers move over the tools, eventually clasping a sharper steel scalpel, one that would be perfect for cutting into bone. There was one final task he needed to do, and he knew that if he got too involved in figuring out the solution, the task would likely be forgotten. It wouldn't take more than ten minutes anyway.

He returned to the room where 9A and 9B lived, who both looked up curiously as he entered. 9A immediately asked.

"You sure everything's alright? You looked pretty spooked about something this morning."

Gaster was obviously distracted. "Yes 9A, it is none of your concern. I need you to expose the shoulder blade for me please."

As 9A shrugged the right sleeve of the green gown off, he tipped his head again. "What for?"

Gaster grunted. "You shall see. Just hold still. This won't sting too much." Taking extreme care with 9A, he carefully used the sharp tool to carve a very small 9A into the shoulder blade. 9A winced, and Gaster explained as he worked.

"This is simply so I can have a way of identifying the two of you." As Gaster worked, 9A continued to question his actions.

"But you already know our names, why would you need to identify us?"

Gaster glanced over again, and a hint of exasperation seeped into his voice. "Another question, for another time 9A." Seeing Gaster was getting a little annoyed, 9A decided to drop the matter. The deed was done within a minute. He then turned to 9B who shrank away from Gaster. 9A spoke up.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It really doesn't hurt that much. It's barely a pinch." Gaster nodded gratefully to 9A as 9B seemed to calm down.

"O-Ok…" 9B spoke timidly as he followed 9A's example in exposing his shoulder blade. Gaster made the small carve, marking him with 9B before standing up.

"There. Thank you to the both of you." He could tell 9A had further questions, but he left the room before they could be asked. Sighing, Gaster retired to the study, where he opened the book on the desk to the first page. There was a lot of reading ahead of him, and he would need to make sure each word was carefully ingested.


	5. Deadly Miscalculations

Tobias pounded a fist against the door to Gaster's home. His frustration grew as he waited, and received no answer. He tried again, with nearly enough force to knock the door down. It had been three months since construction had started on the Core. An alarming incident had occurred, and the foreman had been attempting to getting in touch with Gaster for over a week.

All his attempts to make contact with the scientist had appeared to be in vain, and even when he was banging on his door in person, there was no sign of the mysterious skeleton. Gaster had failed to respond to the two urgent letters Tobias had couriered to him, and another three runners had also failed to make contact with the scientist in person. It was as if he wasn't ever at home. He only saw one other option.

Turning away from the door, he walked quickly into New Home, making a beeline for the home of Asgore. There were several questioning eyes that looked to Tobias as he walked through the city. Like Gaster, his face was more well known, but it wasn't often he moved with such urgency.

Soon, he found himself knocking rapidly on Asgore's door, hoping for a response. He gave a small bow as Toriel answered, and she smiled warmly.

"Ah, good afternoon Tobias! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Tobias looked up at the queen. "I need to speak with King Asgore at once m'lady, it's highly urgent."

Toriel's smile wavered and she stepped aside. "Of course, do come in! He's in the garden."

Tobias nodded gratefully to Toriel. "Thank you yer majesty." Asgore commonly worked in the garden in the throne room. It was no secret that Asgore loved his gardening. Something about it was soothing to him. Tobias walked down the stairs into the hallways leading to the throne room. His footsteps echoed through the hallways as he moved.

He could hear the king humming to himself as Tobias entered the throne room. Sure enough, Asgore was kneeling over the many flowers. Tobias cleared his throat.

"Your majesty." Asgore twitched and stood up, turning around. His eyes lit up in surprise.

"Oh, hello Tobias! How comes the construction?"

Tobias sighed. "That's what ah came to talk to you about. There's been an accident. A bad one. Ah've been trying to get a hold of the Doctor for a week but he hasn't responded at all to me."

Asgore frowned. "What kind of accident? Perhaps I can be of assistance. You know how busy he is."

Tobias's eyes darkened. "A worker has died on the site."

Asgore stiffened and he took a deep breath. "I...I see."

Tobias continued. "Ah'm so sorry to disturb you yer majesty, but ah need to get in touch with Gaster. He needs to know."

Asgore nodded. "Yes, yes of course. I have a spare key to his house. Let's pay him a visit shall we?" He took off the gardening gloves, setting the tools aside before he began to walk with Tobias. As they walked back through New Home towards Gaster's home, Asgore pressed into the issue.

"How did the worker pass?"

Tobias grunted. "He fell down. Literally. Th' platform he was on gave out, and the poor soul fell into one of them lava pools by the site. The workers are refusing to work until there's a promise of increased safety measures. Can't say ah blame 'em."

Asgore took another deep breath. "I understand their concerns. Well, we'll have to see what we can do about it when we arrive." Soon after, they were once more standing in front of Gaster's home. Asgore dug into one of his pockets, pulling out the key that he kept on him in case of an emergency. Tobias took a step back as Asgore slid the key into the lock.

* * *

Gaster walked up the spiral stairs leading out of the lab. He had just finished another check on both the subject's stats. 9B's stats had all grown ever slightly, as he expected to have happen. 9A's stats however had remained stagnant. He had looked over several possible angles as to what the problem could be, and so far none of them had yielded results. Now, he was on his way out to clear his mind.

As he walked out from the secret door, he froze as he heard something coming from outside. He almost immediately recognized the sound of the lock out front being unlocked. Acting fast he shoved the bookcase back across the door, quickly locking it in place. He had no time to fiddle with the pin and get it back into its hole, instead only managing to slip it in a pocket in his lab coat before the door began to open. Gaster stared in surprise as he met eyes with Asgore.

"Your highness! I must say this is...unexpected."

Behind him he could see Tobias also stepping into the house. Asgore spoke for the foreman.

"My apologies for the intrusion Gaster, but the foreman has been trying to get in touch with you for a week now. You never answered, so he came to me."

Gaster nodded apologetically. "I've been rather preoccupied with several of my other experiments, I must not have heard you."

Tobias scoffed. "Understatement - I've been banging loud enough to raise the dead, and I'm pretty sure you're one of them. Listen doc, we need you at th' building site."

Gaster allowed his irritation to leak into his voice. "With all due respect, I am unable to attend the site. As I told you, I'm extremely busy with my projects here!"

Asgore butted in. "Gaster...there's been an accident. A worker was killed at the site of the Core."

Tobias nodded, and Gaster found himself speechless for several moments. "...Well. That is, rather unfortunate. I fail to see what you want me to do with the information."

Tobias shot back. "Ah want you to come to the site and find out what happened, and how to prevent it from happening again! Nobody's going to work until it gets done, so ah suggest we solve this sooner rather than later!"

Gaster felt another migraine approaching. It would appear he would need to clear his mind a different time. "Well, let's resolve this quickly. I can't stray from my experiments for long." Tobias nodded with Asgore, and the trio left the house.

* * *

Two hours later, Gaster found himself walking along the platforming over the deadly magma chambers below. So far, the platforming had been completely sturdy, and on the foreman's insistence Gaster had been carefully inspecting every platform before he walked on it. So far, his probing had revealed nothing that could compromise the entire building site. Of course was only the platforming that Gaster and Tobias had been walking on to make it to the accident site; it would take days to inspect the entire site as thoroughly. Now, Tobias approached the broken platforming at the site of the accident with Gaster in tow. Tobias pointed to the lost platform.

"He was walking along here, and it just gave out! Someone nearby saw it happen and said he tried to grab a railing, but that fell too." Frowning, Gaster squeezed past Tobias and knelt by the broken platform, looking over the site of the accident. He saw a row of what used to be screws, now cleanly sheared off on the side of the platform. Something caught his eye - or rather the lack of something - the regular sequence of shiny metal circles was broken, a hole in the wood where a large screw should've been securing the platform.

"Hold on. There's a screw missing here, somebody must've forgotten to drill it in here. The platform wasn't properly secured."

Tobias was skeptical. "So yer telling me that one screw caused a whole platform to break? Aren't they supposed to be a lot stronger than they need to be?"

Gaster kept staring at the hole, and began contemplating the issue. "It shouldn't. You're correct - I designed everything so that it should withstand more than 5 times as much weight as we could put on it, even with a third of the screws missing. The rest of the screws are all here, though - the platform should've been fine. The support would've been more than enough to withstand the load of one person on it. I don't suspect my calculations are incorrect - I did a similar project in Snowdin, although of much smaller scale, and that hasn't had any accident in the eight years since it was finished so I reused the numbers here."

Tobias narrowed his eyes. "Ah ain't no engineer - but ain't Snowdin and Hotland pretty differ'nt?"

Gaster looked up. "What would be different? Nothing's changed in terms of physics - just the environment…oh...oh my god." Despite the heat, a chill went down his spine as he realized he had made a serious mistake, his eyes widening.

He was about to slam his fist against the remainder of the platform, before realizing that doing so could put his life in danger. Before anything else, he commanded instructions to Tobias.

"I'm going to need you to slowly walk back onto some stable rock, and once you are off this platform, I will follow you. Get word out that anything built here should be treated as highly unstable."

Tobias froze, his eyes widening in sudden fear. He didn't dare to even nod. Slowly, he backed off the remnants of the platform, before working up the courage to dare to ask what exactly was wrong.

Before he could, however, Gaster already began to answer. "The high temperature means that the parts chosen are going to not fit as well as they should, putting undue stress on them. What's more, the creep and fatigue rate will be much faster in an extremely high temperature environment like this; a lot of the components used will start to fail a lot earlier than I planned for. It's a miracle nothing else is falling apart right now.

Tobias scratched his chin. "Well, what do you suppose we do about it?"

Gaster thought for a brief moment before answering. "We'll need to rebuild or reinforce every single structure around here. I will need to completely recalculate and resize every component in this plan, but in the meantime, every time you see a plank, nail two more of them together and make it three times as thick - that should be enough reinforcement for now, although it might be overkill in some places and entirely enough in others. Make sure to double check that every single nail, screw, and rivet is in its place. With risks like this, we can't afford to be making mistakes."

Tobias looked startled by the request. "Doc, that'll take months, maybe even over a year!"

Gaster barked back. "You wanted my opinion, that's my opinion! We need this site to be safe above all else, and you will need to do it - I don't care if the project will be delayed months or years. To ensure the level of safety is maintained, I will be reinstating my weekly inspections, and I expect monthly reports on construction progress. I want it to be clear that if any workmonster here has any safety concerns - even as small as tripping on a ledge - I want to know about it and I want it to be reported. We must ensure this must not happen again! I hope I have made myself clear. Now if you will excuse me, I need to return to my experiments."

Tobias shook his head as he watched Gaster make his abrupt departure. Sighing, he too followed Gaster out of the site, going to speak to the rest of the crew. Asgore was waiting for Gaster nearby, and stopped Gaster as he passed him. The two never met eyes, but Asgore didn't need to be face to face.

"Dings, I know how badly you want this project to work. I want it to succeed just as much as you do. The completion of the Core would mean a great deal to advancing life in the Underground. However, I must also put the safety of my people over a technological advancement. If there is another incident like this one that could have been prevented...I will be forced to shut down your project."

Gaster was silent, lowering his head ever slightly. "Understood your highness. Good day." His shoes crunched on the gravel as he made his departure, and Asgore glanced over his shoulder at Gaster as he left. He couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the scientist. He knew how important this project was, and there was no doubt this incident wasn't helping with the new stress. But nonetheless, he had people to care for. For now, he would return to New Home to speak to the family of the lost monster.

* * *

The lock clicked behind Gaster as he closed the front door. He finally let out the groan he was holding back, pushing two fingers up against his skull as he leaned against the door. Of all the delays to have happen, it had to be the Core. It was going to take long enough as it was, and every delay would be costly. He could only hope Tobias would take his advice to ensure there would be no more.

Despite Tobias being in charge of the building site, he still couldn't help but feel bad about the accident. While he wasn't fully in charge of the site, it was still his project, meaning the family may very well focus blame on himself. After all, why wouldn't they? The construction team had been operating from plans he had hand drawn himself; calculations that he had meticulously put together from another project, only to realize now that the values were not applicable and needed to be completely discarded. He shook his head as he began to imagine what the family of the worker would be thinking about him. He could only hope they were understanding that it was an accident, and nothing more.

At least the subjects were going well. 9B was much better with language, and was now able to speak fluently, though not nearly on the same level as Sans, who now knew several more scientific terms. He had watched as the relationship between the two had grown. They now had acted like they were brothers. He hoped nothing major had come up during his absence.

He stood up straight before walking once more to the bookcase, pulling the secret pin out and sliding it aside. He let the case slide back into place behind him. As he neared the bottom of the stairs, he could hear the two subjects making a commotion. He frowned when he heard what sounded like laughter. As he entered the lab, he walked into the observation room, looking through the one-way window. Immediately he was frozen by what he saw.

The two brothers had begun to play fight with each other. Both appeared to be enjoying themselves, but 9B had managed to get 9A in a headlock. 9A still had no idea of his delicate condition. Frantically Gaster raced out of the observation room, unlocking the other door and threw it open.

"_Stop!_" Was the only word Gaster shouted at the two of them. Gaster's left eye once more glowed blue as he raised both his hands. The two brothers yelped as they were lifted up in the air, and Gaster separated them, keeping them suspended in the air thanks to his gravity defying magic. 9A protested at once.

"Hey, put us down! We were having fun!"

Gaster snapped back. "You _can not_ be play fighting like this, I forbid it!"

9B was just as shocked. "Why not?!"

When he calmed his racing heartbeat, Gaster lowered the two skeleton brothers down on the bed, before sighing.

"Because if you do, 9A could die." 9A was about to speak, but Gaster's hand motion convinced him to be quiet. "Just...listen. 9A is...highly abnormal. When I checked 9B's stats first, he had a health stat of 53, the average for children around your age. The typical range is between 50 and 60. But 9A, your health stat? It is precisely … one. There are infants that have a better ability to sustain hurt than you."

9B was stunned silent, just barely able to understand. 9A now looked terrified as he realized the prospect of what could have happened.

"How? How did this happen?"

Gaster sighed. "It had to have happened during the creation of your soul. I've been doing everything I can to try and find a solution." Gaster was still in the process of scouring through every last sentence of the textbook borrowed from the palace library. Years earlier he had once skimmed through it in research into the barrier, and he could have sworn he remembered a section precisely on this issue. Unfortunately for him, he found no indication in the table of contents, and as he carefully digested the final third of the book, he was losing hope that there was any information on this issue at all.

9A frowned. "Creation?" His words shook Gaster from his thoughts

Gaster nodded. "Yes. I didn't intend on telling you until you were both older. But, given the circumstances, I think it would be better now rather than later. You two weren't born. You were created."

9A shook his head in confusion. "I...I don't understand."

Gaster tried to put it together lightly for them. "Your souls are artificial; manufactured. You weren't conceived, you were, quite literally, built. There have been eight different tests before your souls. Over forty souls I tried to make, and all failed. You two...you were the only ones who made it. Your souls are my greatest success! In fact, that's why you're called 9A and 9B. The 9 comes from, well, test 9, and you are subjects A and B."

9A was still confused. "But...a soul can't make a body! So why are we skeletons like you?"

Gaster took another deep breath. "I am aware. I needed a sample to create a body. Like the souls, your bodies are also created. But, I had to get the material from somewhere." Gaster removed the gloves, revealing the holes in his hands and showing them to the subjects. "You two, are literally made out of me."

9B tried to understand. "So...we're not real?"

Gaster chuckled. "Oh no 9B, you two are very, very real. I couldn't be more proud of that."

9A was crestfallen. "But...we're not natural. We weren't really born, we were...built?"

Gaster nodded. "...Yes. The problem with your stats 9A...it must have happened during creation of your soul. I've already been trying to find a way to improve them ever since I discovered it. But, this is why you two can not play that way. If you are so much as scratched 9A...it could kill you. Do you understand?"

9A looked down and nodded. "I understand…"

Gaster smiled sympathetically and gave his shoulder a pat. "You know, you deserve to know what's outside this room. Come, let me show you around the rest of the lab." 9A smiled as he looked back up at Gaster, and 9B convinced himself to come closer. Together, Gaster led the two brothers out of the room.


	6. Brothers

The two skeletons followed Gaster out of the lab, staying close together. They looked back and forth curiously down the hall. Gaster decided to take them left first, walking down to two rooms that still had to be used. Both doors were unlocked. One room was very large, and entirely empty. 9A and 9B leaned in to look around as Gaster explained the rooms purpose.

"When the two of you are a bit older, this room will be used to help the two of you hone your magic abilities."

9A looked excited at the thought. "What kind of magic do we have?"

A smile tugged at Gaster's mouth. As always, 9A was eager to learn more. "If your magic is anything like myself, you will have an extremely rare ability found only in other skeletons; the ability to manipulate gravity. It's how I managed to separate the two of you. Of course, there is no way to tell just how you will be able to utilize your magic, or even if it will be the same as mine. It will be a learning process for all of us."

Gaster had made sure to design the room to be larger than any others in the lab. Originally, this room was where he would conduct several experiments at once. However, since many of those experiments were now either complete or abandoned, he had managed to find time to clear the room out, making an adequate amount of space for a training area. That, and he had grown tired of being constantly reminded of his failed attempts to break the barrier.

He led them across the hallway to a slightly smaller room. Here was a chalkboard, two desks, and several writing utensils and other items. Apart from these objects, the room was bare, the blank walls gloomy in comparison to the brightly coloured posters and decorations of proper public schools.

"I will guide the two of you in your rudimentary studies here. Again, these will start when you're a bit older, no later than a year from now." 9B squeezed past Gaster and stepped into the room, staring in fascination at the different coloured chalk. Gaster made a mental note of the action. While 9A was more eager to study and write, 9B appeared to have a much more 'colourful' side. He may be forced to use different methods of teaching 9B when the time came

9B looked up and quickly ran to follow after them as Gaster and 9A left the room. 9A was already looking to another door on the left of the hallway, but frowned when Gaster completely ignored the door, walking past that. He decided not to ask about it though, assuming Gaster would get back to that room later.

Immediately past the room where the two subjects slept, Gaster opened another door, leading them in. This room looked much more pleasant. There was a dinner table with chairs around it, as well as a stove, oven, and several cabinets containing various cooking ingredients and other supplies.

"Here is the dining room and kitchen. We'll be eating our meals here from now on."

9B walked into the room and took to opening several of the cabinets, showing some interest in a number of the pasta boxes. Gaster made another mental note of this, already considering their next meal. He did intend to have his meals with the two subjects as often as he could. It would be important for them to be able to get used to a family life.

Further down the hall, Gaster waved his hand at a door that was cracked slightly open.

"That room is just storage. I've got several odd trinkets laying around in there, you can feel free to explore that room later if you want." 9A ducked inside, and spotted several metal buckets of varying sizes, lined up on a shelf. Three were labelled as 'Light Tan'; another said Purified Water. Continuing to read, he saw labels for Sodium Hydroxide, Sulfuric Acid, Phenolphthalein, before they were too far away to see. He stared curiously at the buckets, wondering what they might be for.

Two shelves up on the right, were what 9A assumed were important laboratory tools - some glass stirring sticks, a few paint brushes, and tweezers of various shapes. Spread out on the ground were several boxes, all labelled with strange symbols. 9A could only guess that inside these would be the 'trinkets' that Gaster had stated were present. It would require more investigation later.

After moving one of the boxes aside though, he spotted a rolled up sheet of paper. Pulling it out, he unrolled the paper, revealing what looked to be old drawings of an intricate device. He quickly ran out and caught up with Gaster.

"Hey G, what's this?"

Gaster turned around and looked at the paper for a moment. "Ah, designs for an, unfortunately, failed project."

9A nodded, looking again at the designs. "Huh. What was wrong with it?"

He noticed a slight twitch in one of Gaster's fingers. "Simply didn't function as I had intended." In truth, the design was for one of his many devices he had built in an attempt to destroy the barrier. The machine had actually worked flawlessly, but he wasn't able to feed it enough energy to break the barrier.

"Could I put this up on the wall in our room?"

Gaster was surprised at the question. "I question your taste in what you consider worthy of hanging in a common living area, but I don't see any reason to stop you. I will find some adhesive for you later." 9A nodded and rolled up the paper again, leaning it against the wall where he would collect it later.

Four paces later, Gaster pushed open another door on the left of the hallway, and stood aside to let the pair in. Inside were the two aquarium tanks. The liquid had long since been drained, but Gaster had kept the two tanks present in the event they needed to be used. 9B tipped his head, staring curiously at the tanks.

"Was there something ever in here?"

Gaster nodded. "Indeed. These are the two tanks in which your bodies formed, before I introduced them to your souls. You were in there for a month before you 'woke up.'"

Gaster looked to 9A, who was already staring at the tanks, almost as if trying to find a secret mechanical process hidden behind them. Gaster's voice dragged him back to the present.

"Come, there is one more room to see." They looked up and quickly followed him out. Gaster led them through another door, into a room containing two medical chairs. There were several other medical supplies on tables around the room. Gaster held them back, but still allowed them to look from the door.

"This is simply a medical examination room. In the event that there is some kind of emergency and one of you needs extra care, it will be done here. I will also be trying to develop a solution for your condition, 9A." 9A nodded as he stared around. Gaster huffed as he left the room.

"Well, now you two know the truth, and what's around you. You two will be allowed to move around in the rooms I've shown you."

As 9A left the medical room, he suddenly noticed another locked door at the end of the hallway. He tugged Gaster's sleeve as he pointed to the room.

"What's in that room?"

Gaster followed his eyes. "That is my study 9A. It's where I conduct all my personal research. If you need me, you'll usually find me in there. But, I want you to knock before entering. I have many personal files stored there." Gaster turned away to keep one eye on 9B who was still in the medical room. 9A took the opportunity to take a small peek into Gaster's study.

He could see several other books and notes laying on a desk in the room. A small desk lamp sat on the desk. Beside the lamp stood a picture. The picture caught 9A's eye immediately. In the picture, Gaster was standing side by side with another figure, though it was at too much of an angle for him to see who it was. From what he could see though, Gaster had a wide smile, something he had never seen from Gaster. Hearing Gaster beginning to turn from the door, 9A quickly stepped back, then looked away from the study to the other locked door in the center of the hall. "What about through there?"

He noticed Gaster's small grin disappear as he pointed to the other door. "That door leads upstairs to the rest of the home. Never, and I mean _never_, are you allowed to go through that door."

9A looked to Gaster. "Why not?"

Gaster was hesitant to answer, then sighed as he gave in. "The reality of the matter is that it is simply not safe for you to go outside. This is because of the many dangers the world outside presents. It is all too easy to trip and fall, and such a fall could spell your end. I know fully well that it is very possible for you to still trip here in the lab, but at least down here I have proper medical equipment ready at a moments notice, something I would not have access to outside. I'm sorry, but for the time being you must remain here where I can ensure your safety. Now go back to your room, the both of you. I'll be there shortly. There's something else I want you to do." 9A stared at Gaster with a disappointed look before he walked back to the room with his brother.

There were other reasons why Gaster didn't want 9A outside that he didn't bother explaining. For one, the terrain was significantly different than down in the lab. As he had found out the hard way, the magma pools in Hotland posed a significant threat, and there were of course the steep cliffs in Waterfall. Then, there was the risk that came from the other children. No doubt if they saw 9A and 9B, the two children would be all but willing to play with their new friends. He knew that oftentimes, games that children played often only came to an end when somebody got hurt. Altogether, it was a risk he was not yet willing to take.

In the bedroom, 9A sat patiently on his bed, 9B across from him as they waited for Gaster to return. Soon, the scientist opened the door, carrying a sheet of paper, a pencil, and a large book in his left hand. As Gaster set the pencil and paper down, he waved 9A and 9B over.

"You were telling me, 9A, that the current names you have were as you put it, 'strange.' Well, now you know it's because they aren't names, they are in fact labels. Would you two still like to have proper names?"

9A nodded with a shrug and 9B looked excited again. "Yes please!"

Gaster then laid pointed at the paper and pencil. "I want you two to write this phrase down for me." A single phrase was on the paper - 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.' Glancing up at Gaster curiously, 9A quickly wrote the word down in a somewhat lazy manner. 9B followed suit, but Gaster noticed his writing was much more elaborate than that of 9A's.

Once 9B finished, they both stepped back. Gaster opened the book and turned quickly through the pages, his eyes rapidly scanned the pages. The book was one that labelled all the known fonts of the world. It took some time to find what he was looking for, as they two brothers wrote very differently from one another. He then pointed to something on a page, then a second spot on another.

"You two are writing in different fonts. 9A, the font you are writing in is commonly known as 'Comic Sans.' 9B, you write in...Papyrus."

9A tipped his head. "Meaning?"

Gaster explained. "I have just found your names. 9A, I am going to be calling you 'Sans.' 9B, you will be named 'Papyrus.' How does that sound?"

Sans smiled. "Cool!" Papyrus only clapped his hands in excitement. Gaster chuckled, collecting the paper.

"Then so it shall be. I'll be going out for a few hours, do me a favor? No more play fighting."

Sans sighed. "Yeah, yeah, alright." Gaster nodded, then left the two before heading briefly to his study.

* * *

The heat bore into Gaster's bones as he crouched delicately by the accident site. The whole area had been taped off as thorough inspections were carried out elsewhere. Beside Gaster was a large sheet of paper, as well as several other smaller tools he had brought from his study. Now he was looking once more over the platform, taking notes on every last detail he saw. As he worked, he marked out where and how his calculations would need updating. A voice called over the din of the construction site.

"Hey! Doctor Gaster!" Gaster glanced up from his work and called back. The worker didn't come closer. After all, this portion of the building site was still marked as highly unstable.

"What is it?"

"There's a few reporters wanting to speak to you about the accident! Is it possible for you to find time for you to make a statement?!"

Gaster grunted. "Just send them away, I don't have time for them!"

The worker threw his hands up apologetically. "I tried! They're _very_ persistent, and aren't leaving without an answer!"

Gaster groaned inwardly. "Alright, fine! Just tell them there was a severe accident, and that it's being handled accordingly! Don't give them further details!"

The worker looked uncertain. "I already did Doctor, they aren't taking it!"

Gaster shouted back. "Tell them that they will be accepting that; or they can answer directly to King Asgore himself for impeding on our investigation! I can't tell them what I don't know!"

The worker nodded and turned, picking his way carefully across the rock ledges. Sighing, Gaster looked down, moving back onto the nearby rock ledge himself before slumping down against the rock face for a break. He looked over the notes he had already taken.

He shook his head slowly as he imagined the long road ahead of him. Even in the initial investigation, he was still even more wrong than he initially realized. Nearly the entire site would be compromised, and many of it would need to be rebuilt from the ground up. The deadline for completion would need to be pushed back by at least six months. While it only took a month to arrive where they are, they would need to remove or reinforce all compromised structuring, which was nearly the entire site. Gaster would also need time to redo his calculations. Then they would need to find the safer materials for the construction, as well as rebuild everything that had been torn down. The final kicker would be the overhead from additional safety reporting - while it could not be ignored, it would still slow down construction.

Grunting, Gaster stood up, cracking his neck as he returned to his work. There would be no time to waste. Gaster knew it would take a long time to get back on track, especially with the extra care Sans and Papyrus would need.

Not to mention, he was still combing through the textbook in a desperate attempt to find a solution for Sans' condition. The well of information in the book was drying up, and he still hadn't quenched his needs. Gaster highly doubted he would find anything, but every little bit of information could help.

Gaster shook his head quickly, returning to the present task at hand. First things first, get the Core back on track, and that meant getting the recalculations done, and fast. Taking another deep breath, Gaster resumed toiling at his mistakes.


	7. Hope and Failure

Thunder rumbled overhead as rain pattered against the dirt. He found himself shaking as he trudged through the mud, trying not to let it drag his shoes down beneath the earth. The mud continued to suck at his feet as he stepped over the dust and bodies littered around the battlefield. As he stepped over the carnage, he saw one monster, barely clinging on to life. He dropped to his knees, looking down as the skeleton's head turned to look at him.

"W-Why…" Her voice gasped painfully. "Why...d-didn't...you do...more…" He opened his mouth, but no words came out. All around he could hear dozens, hundreds of voices echoing the question. Yet no mouths moved amongst the scarred battlefield.

Gaster leaned his head down, resting it against hers as he tried to give her some comfort. Slowly he watched as the skeleton began to dissolve, starting at the feet, and moving up to the skull. He was left with a pile of dust before it was blown away with the wind. Gaster clutched at his head as the rain pounded down, in a desperate attempt to block out the voices.

His skull shot up from the desk. Groaning, Gaster took in his surroundings, sighing as he recalled he was in his study. He must have fallen asleep. He blinked himself awake, staring down at the messy piles of paper at the desk, the oil lamp still shedding a dim light on the drawings.

Four months had passed since the tragic accident at the Core construction site. The construction team had taken a few weeks to fully analyze and record the potential effects, and Gaster had several more weeks of sleepless nights as he tirelessly redid the most essential calculations. Although many of the specifications still needed to be reevaluated, they would only be used later on; in the meantime the construction workers were busy reinforcing old supports where possible and completely rebuilding where it wasn't. According to the latest progress report the foreman had provided, the site was at the same place they were when the accident struck. Now, Gaster was poring over every detail of the project, ensuring that there weren't any errors.

Gaster stood up and left the study, walking down the hall. He cracked open the bedroom door, then smiled as he saw Sans and Papyrus both sound asleep. As he left the closed the door again, he could hear something very faintly off in the distance. Frowning, he strained to listen, but the noise was gone. Gaster began to set off to the study but then paused. No, there was definitely something making a noise from upstairs - someone was knocking.

He ducked up the stairs, locking the door behind him before once more rolling the bookcase aside to allow him through. He secured it behind him, then walked to the front door. As he opened it, he blinked in surprise when he saw Asgore standing outside. The king looked extremely excited about something.

"Your highness! I must admit I didn't expect you this early in the morning. Is there something I can help you with?"

Asgore immediately launched into his announcement. "Oh I do hope I didn't wake you up, but this was important. It's happened Dings, it's happened! I still can hardly believe it..."

Gaster's brow creased further as Asgore continued to ramble on, leaving the scientist trying to piece together what he was trying to tell him. Asgore suddenly realized that Gaster had no idea what he was talking about, so he decided to start over.

"Asriel was born! Last night!"

Gaster's eyes widened and he chuckled. "That's wonderful news, congratulations!"

Asgore couldn't help but wrap Gaster up in a bear hug. Gaster winced as he felt his back crack slightly and he grunted. Asgore immediately put Gaster down.

"Oh, I'm sorry Dings, I'm just excited. I wanted you to know first, my old friend. Do you want to come see him?"

Gaster grunted again, adjusting himself before nodding with a smile. "No worries your highness, it would be a pleasure." Immediately the two of them set off, Gaster figuring that Sans and Papyrus wouldn't be awake for some time. As they weaved through New Home, the few monsters awake were turning to watch them. Gaster's appearances were rare enough; now that the King was walking with him, people were reasoning whatever they were doing, would be announced later.

Asgore allowed Gaster inside, and the scientist stood in the living room while Asgore left to check on Toriel and Asriel. A few minutes later he reemerged, waving Gaster into the bedroom. Gaster nodded and walked into the room. Toriel was still laying in bed, looking tired yet overjoyed as she cradled Asriel in her arms. Gaster peered down, smiling broadly at Asriel. The prince's eyes were wide open and he stared curiously at Gaster. Gaster glanced up at Toriel.

"He's got your eyes your majesty."

Toriel giggled weakly. "Gorey says the same thing."

Gaster held out his arms. "May I?"

Toriel nodded. "Of course!" She carefully let Gaster take Asriel. As held Asriel, Gaster couldn't help but feel overcome with emotion. Asriel made a gurgling noise and reached up, swatting Gaster's cheek. He chuckled at the motion before handing him back to Toriel.

"He's beautiful, and appears to be in perfect health!" Toriel gazed preciously at the prince as Asgore looked over her shoulder. Gaster looked down slightly. He only wished he could have had the opportunity himself. He spent a few more minutes, both marvelling at the prince and making small talk with the royal couple.

Eventually, he remembered that he ought to be returning back; he hoped to have returned before Sans and Papyrus woke. Sighing, he straightened himself and nodded at the pair.

"Well, seeing as you two will ll be having your hands full, I'll leave you two alone. Again, you have my congratulations, and I wish you two a good day!"

Asgore looked up and nodded to Gaster. "Thank you for the taking the time, old friend."

Gaster turned and left the house, taking a deep breath, feel much more uplifted. He needed some good news. With all the struggles he had with trying to get the Core back on track and trying to find a solution for Sans, he had been swamped with stress. Now, he took his time in walking back to his home on the outskirts. A newspaper stand caught his eye and he walked over, accepting a paper that was handed to him. He deposited two G on the counter before reading the headline on the front page.

"PROTESTERS RALLY ONCE MORE AGAINST CORE CONSTRUCTION!" Clearly news of the prince's birth hadn't reached the kingdom yet. This was understandable as it had only happened the night before. No doubt that would be the talking point of tomorrow, and very well the rest of the month. He turned to the page with the full story, beginning to read as he walked home.

"More protests were held outside the construction site of the Core yesterday, with several monsters still disputing the safety of the project after a construction worker tragically died when a platform collapsed four months ago. Foreman Tobias Eaten has continued to say that the construction site will be much safer going forward.

"'The scaffolding the workers are using has been specially reinforced to be able to withstand not just the heat, but more than five times the expected loads as well. We are using newer, stronger, and more durable materials, and have also implemented a strict safety reporting system. Any safety issues are addressed before they can worsen, and for this reason workers are more likely to hurt themselves by tripping in New Home than in an accident on site,' claimed Eaten during a press conference on Wednesday.

"The family of the lost worker are still expressing major concerns into the safety of the site, claiming that had the Core not been built in such an environment, there would have been no need for the safety improvements to the construction site. Despite their claims, these protests have been growing less frequent, and less popular with time. Apart from the unfortunate accident, the site has retained an impeccable record of safety, according to both official reports and interviews with workers. Despite the protesters that remain, the construction will be proceeding as planned, with hopes of finishing it in the next decade."

Gaster sighed as he read about the family of the worker. They were still incredibly sour about the project, and Gaster couldn't blame them. It had been his improper calculations that had been the cause of the accident in the first place. He tucked the paper under his arm as he proceeded towards the home.

Once inside, he locked the front door before heading down into the underground lab. He frowned as he heard sounds coming from the storage room. Peering inside, he saw Papyrus rummaging around amongst the boxes. Gaster cleared his throat and Papyrus looked up.

"Oh, hello Doctor Gaster! I'm looking for a jigsaw puzzle Sans saw here last week."

Gaster nodded. "Ah, I see. I take it he's still asleep?"

Papyrus rolled his eyes. "Yepperoo! Said he was too bored to do anything else." Gaster chuckled as he left Papyrus to his hunting. Gaster had noticed that Sans was becoming frequently disinterested, since he had a tendency to resolve problems at an astonishingly quick pace for his age. He would need to find better ways of challenging Sans in the future. Gaster put the newspaper amongst a large pile of others in his study before he walked towards the medical room, ducking inside.

On one table at the end, was the book from the palace library next to a vast array of tools and solutions. He had dedicated most of his free time at the lab, searching for the answer to Sans' stat problem.

Sadly, the book had not contained any direct book did however, make mention of several very slim possible ideas that could lead to an overall solution. Taking these small ideas, Gaster had been hard at work with several experiments on Sans in an effort to cure his condition, though none had the result he had been hoping for just yet. He dipped a syringe into the solution in a vial, filling it up. He called out to Papyrus.

"Papyrus?" There was a clatter of a box being dropped in the storage room before Papyrus's head peered around the door into the lab. Gaster met his eyes.

"Wake up Sans for me and tell him to come to the medical room please."

Papyrus beamed. "Yes Doctor, right away!" He sprinted away, and through the open door he could hear Papyrus rapidly speaking to wake up Sans.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Gaster leaned over the table, chuckling at the commotion Papyrus was making. He then cleared his throat and composed himself as Sans walked into the room, yawning.

"G'mornin G."

Gaster turned around to face him. "Good morning Sans. I've got something very special today." He motioned to one of the chairs, and Sans hopped up onto it, leaning back.

"Yeah? What is it?"

Gaster held up the syringe, giving the side of the needle a tap. "This, I believe, is the answer to the problem with your stats. If my research is correct, this will give a huge boost of energy to your soul, encouraging it to increase your stats."

Sans frowned and tipped his head as he stared at the needle. "I dunno doc, you sure about that? A couple weeks ago, you said the same thing and nothing happened. Same with the time before that, and the time before that, and the-"

Gaster cut him off. "You don't need to remind me Sans, I'm more than aware of this. I've been researching this since the first day I discovered your condition. I wouldn't be attempting this unless I was certain that I was correct." Gaster took a velcro strap and wrapped it around Sans' right arm, securing it to the arm rest. Sans once more looked uncertainly at Gaster, who reassured him.

"It's just to make sure you hold still; this may sting a little." Sans slowly nodded as Gaster found a good entry point for the needle. He had to make it extra sharp so it would be able to just go beneath the bone, much like the vein of any other monster or human. He saw Sans flinch, the velcro strap thankfully keeping the one arm still.

"You need to remain as still as possible Sans. I know it isn't the most pleasant, but it is necessary."

Sans grunted through the pain, trying to sit still, but it was growing more difficult as Gaster began to introduce the special serum to his soul. Sans began to breathe faster, and a hint of irritation crept into Gaster's voice.

"Sans, I need you to control yourself."

Sans grimaced. "Somethin's off, we need to stop."

Gaster shook his head. "I am afraid that is not an option."

Sans leaned his head over, panic now beginning to show. "N-No, this really hurts G, what's happening?!" Once more he tried to jerk his arm, and Gaster gritted his teeth.

"Hold still! I'm trying to fix you!" Suddenly Sans cried out in pain before yelling.

"_Get off me!_" As Sans opened his eyes, Gaster froze as he saw a bright blue flame in Sans' left eye. There was a tiny flash and strange animal like skull appeared next to Sans head, glaring at Gaster. It opened its mouth, and before Gaster could duck out of the way, a beam of magic shot from the skull.

The blast of magic connected with Gaster's upper body, sending him flying back and destroying the needle. He slammed against the wall and crumbled down, groaning as he clutched his head. Sans had managed to wrench the velcro strap off and was now staring wildly at Gaster, the skull still glaring coldly at him. Gaster groaned in pain, his skull feeling like it had split in two.

Looking up, Gaster saw the panic in Sans' eyes, the flame still burning in his left as the skull grew closer and opened its mouth. Gaster tried to summon a small wall of bones to protect himself, though in his dazed state it would do little against another attack.

"Wait! Don't!" He heard footsteps, and opened his eyes to see Papyrus now standing in front of him, arms outstretched. Papyrus' panicked gaze bore into Sans' as he tried to reason with his brother.

"You can't hurt him!"

Sans spat back. "He was doing the same thing!"

Papyrus pleaded. "He's just trying to help you! You can't do this, it's not right to hurt people!"

Sans stared back, then realized exactly what he was doing. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back in the chair, clutching his arm. The skull disappeared and the flame disappeared. Gaster sat up and leaned against the wall, still clutching his head as he groaned in pain. As his hand ran over his skull, he could feel two cracks.

He managed to stumble to his feet, staring at Sans. Sans looked away and Papyrus gasped as he took in what had happened to Gaster. He felt his way along the wall to the door and ducked out, managing to make it out of the lab and upstairs. He was already finding it easier to walk as he went to the bathroom, looking in the mirror.

Sure enough, two large cracks had appeared in his skull as a result from the attack. One ran from his left eye down to his jaw, the other from the top of his right eye all the way around to the back. He assumed the larger crack came from when he hit the wall. The pain was already beginning to subside, but he could already tell that the cracks were far too deep to heal themselves.

Sighing, Gaster took a deep breath. He tried to imagine how he would explain this to the construction workers when he returned to the site later that week. He just had to make sure Asgore didn't see him; the workers would likely settle for a hollow excuse. He turned and walked back downstairs into the lab. Papyrus was waiting for him by the door, and Gaster could tell something was on his mind. He spoke quietly.

"Yes Papyrus?"

Papyrus whimpered. "Are you going to hurt Sans? He didn't mean to, he said he just panicked. Please don't hurt him, he just snapped!"

Gaster sighed. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to him. I will speak with him later." Papyrus nodded, then ran away back to the bedroom. Sans was still sitting in the medical chair, staring straight ahead. He turned his head away when Gaster's eye glowed a soft blue as he once more checked Sans stats. He resisted the urge to curse out loud as he discovered that nothing had changed. It had all been for nothing.

"I...I owe you an apology Sans. I did not realize how painful it would be, and I often forget that you are still a child. I don't blame you for your outburst."

Sans mumbled. "Whatever…" Sans hopped off the chair and squeezed past him in the doorway to go to the bedroom. Shaking his head, Gaster stooped down and began to pick up the remnants of the needle, resisting the urge to break down at yet another failure.


	8. Confession

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**Hey everybody! Sorry for not posting in a little while, this chapter had to go through several revisions to ensure it was as good as can be. That, and I'm working on a large project that I will be unveiling hopefully at the end of Sole Sufferer. I'll be trying to maintain a slightly more frequent schedule.**

**Talk soon!**

* * *

Gaster's brush danced along the wall, the light tan paint plastered smoothly along the once cold, grey walls. He had finally gotten around to painting the walls, in an effort to give the lab more life. He also figured it could be good bonding time for the trio. Beside him, Papyrus was thoroughly enjoying himself as he aided in painting the walls, although he had a tendency to let paint drip down onto the ground. Gaster was glad he had used the stack of newspapers collecting in his office to protect the floor.

Despite the mess, he couldn't help but grin at Papyrus's enthusiasm to assist in what he considered to be a chore. He glanced further down the hall to Sans, who had all but given up by his end of the hallway. Gaster sighed as he returned to his work.

In the five months since their 'incident', Sans had grown distant from Gaster. He often refused to talk to him, or even acknowledge his presence. Gaster had given up trying to find a solution for Sans's stats, coming to the disappointing conclusion that there was none. He had tried to get closer to Sans again, but it would take time before Sans would be willing to reconcile.

His thoughts shifted to the Core. He had finally managed to complete his recalculations, allowing him to have more time to stay behind at the lab to care for Sans and Papyrus. However, construction was proceeding slower than he had hoped. He knew that by requiring workers to focus on safety and report any safety concerns, the project would necessarily down, but he was secretly hoping that the effects would be limited. With no way to speed things up, safety being an absolute requirement, Gaster had reluctantly pushed back the launch date by nearly a year. He glanced down at his wristwatch, and noticed the time. He was due for another one of his inspections in forty-five minutes.

"Let's take a break for a little while; I need to get to my weekly inspection. Be careful while I'm gone, alright?" Immediately the two skeletons put their brushes down. He quickly walked up the stairs, locking the lab behind him and sliding the bookcase across the door. He put on his coat, the inspection clipboard already in one of the pockets, before heading outside.

After half an hour of walking, he reached the construction site. When he saw the king waiting there next to Foreman Tobias, however, he internally scowled. The doctor had managed to evade Asgore's attempts to reach him for a long time; their main form of communication since Asriel's birth was through back and forth letters. In travelling to his inspections he made sure to take back ways to get to the construction site, and ensured that only Tobias joined him on these routine checks. He wanted as few people to see the marks on his skull as possible; he didn't want too many questions to be raised.

The first time he saw the king looking for him, he was lucky and happened to be at the end of his inspection, managing to slip away without being noticed. Since then, he had been keeping his schedule unpredictable, arriving hours early or late, occasionally even performing the inspection on a different day. Nonetheless, he knew it was impossible to avoid being confronted indefinitely.

"Good afternoon, your majesty. It's not often I see you here; unfortunately I must begin with my safety inspection and do not have time to converse." It was a last ditch attempt to avoid speaking with Asgore about his new facial scars.

Asgore either didn't hear him, or pretended not to. "Oh my...Dings, what happened to you? Has there been another accident?"

Gaster tried again to brush him off, shaking his head. "No, your highness. Believe me, I am fine. This has not affected me in the slightest."

"We need to get you looked at." Asgore was not going to be shaken off. "Come, I'll bring you to Toriel, she'll be able to heal you."

The scientist stiffened. "I am afraid I cannot leave right now, your highness. As I have mentioned, I was about to begin my weekly safety inspection."

"The inspection can wait until tomorrow, your health is much more important!"

Gaster knew the doors were locked and the walls were closing in, but he tried to break out regardless. "You have ordered me to make every reasonable effort to make the construction site as safe and low-risk as possible. By going with you and leaving behind my duties here, I am disobeying this order and not making my every effort for the benefit of the denizens of the underground. I do not require medical attention! It is perfectly alright!"

Asgore huffed. "Doctor Gaster, if this is the game you shall play, then I shall as well. I am retracting the order for safety for today; instead now I am _ordering_ you to come with me to the palace." There was a tense silence as the two locked eyes. Asgore knew fully well that the scientist could be stubborn, but he was ready to match him. Eventually, Gaster sighed, and his shoulders hunched.

"Very well your highness." The skeleton left the home with Asgore, and followed him through the streets of New Home.

* * *

Sans let his eyes close as he crossed his legs, hands behind his head as he laid back in bed. Just as he was beginning to drift off to sleep, he heard Papyrus stomp into the room.

"Sans! Are you sleeping again? Your last nap was just two hours ago!"

Sans didn't open his eyes. "So? I'm bored. There's nothing else to do."

"Go find a puzzle, then!"

"I've already solved them all. At least three times by now. And before you tell me to read a book, I don't want to read the same thing for the fifth time. I've done everything there is to do down here - only thing left is to get behind that door that G won't let us through."

"Fiiiine, go take another nap. Doctor Gaster says it's not good for you if you keep doing it, but it looks like you don't really care." Papyrus walked out of the room, and continued to crack at the puzzle ball.

Sans didn't try to drift off though - his eyes were wide open. His little blurb had given him an idea. Truthfully, he had been wanting to see what was above them for a couple weeks already, and he had been pestering Gaster to no avail. He figured that at this point, it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Over the past weeks, he had been training with their creator to try and hone his magic abilities. Recently, Sans discovered he could control the gravity felt by small objects, giving him the power to make objects levitate. He had managed to poke a small mirror around the door using this power, and with a few lenses he had found while rummaging in the storage room, he had managed to magnify his vision enough to identify the last digit on the lock when Gaster went upstairs last week - a four. He started thinking quietly out loud.

"There's a thousand combinations left, and at around two seconds per guess, that's two thousand seconds, or… a little more than half an hour." He checked the clock in his room - Gaster wouldn't be back from his inspection for at least 45 minutes; he would have some time but almost none to waste. He hopped out of bed and walked over to the door.

* * *

As Asgore led the way into their home, he quickly ushered Gaster into the living room and onto the couch. Asgore left the room and he could hear him speaking with Toriel further off, although he wasn't able to pick up their conversation. Soon, Asgore and Toriel returned, and her eyes also widened in surprise as she saw his face. Gaster glanced around.

"Where is the prince?"

Toriel reassured him. "I have put him in his crib, he will be quite alright there while we talk."

Asgore sat on a second couch close by, giving Gaster a concerned look as Toriel looked over the skeleton's marks. Her hand glowed a soft green as she made an effort to heal the scars. The magic tickled him, and it was difficult even for him to keep a straight face. After several seconds of trying, Toriel shook her head.

"I do not think I can heal you Gaster…"

The scientist sighed. "I appreciate the effort, your majesty, but this is because there is nothing to heal. These marks are just scars, and I assure you they are not harming me in the slightest. I am perfectly healthy."

Toriel sat down in an armchair close by. Asgore took a deep breath. "So, these markings, they are scars of an injury long ago? That would explain why we haven't seen you for several months." _And why you've been avoiding me at the construction site, _he added on internally.

Gaster slowly nodded in response, though didn't speak. For Asgore, however, the pieces were beginning to fit together. "These injuries...am I correct in assuming they occurred as a result of your 'secret' project?"

The doctor sat rigid, trying not to give anything else away, and Asgore continued speaking. "I think it's time you told me _exactly_ what this project of yours is. I was willing to give you your privacy, but when it gets to the point that you're being harmed by these experiments, I need to know."

Gaster looked to Toriel for help, but she simply tilted her head towards Asgore, with an equally worried look on her face. He gazed straight ahead at the wall as he spoke dejectedly. With the stress of the situation now resting heavy on his shoulders, he found falling back to what felt familiar.

"The project name is Soulbirth, and the objective was to create an artificial monster soul. I conceived of it while still on the surface, but due to lack of resources it had been shelved; over the past years, however, I have collected enough resources to restart the project, planning three phases.

"Phase one consisted of creation of a soul. It has taken me 134 attempts, spread over nine trials and 16 months, to artificially create two souls. Phase two consisted of creation of a host. This portion required material samples from living monsters; due to a number of restrictions the only feasible option was samples from myself."

At this point, the scientist removed his gloves to show the holes in his hands. Before the king and queen could react, however, Gaster continued speaking as if nothing was wrong. "Phase three consisted of merging the hosts with the souls and raising the resulting monsters. This is where the project stands - I am currently 12 months into this final phase."

Asgore looked down, trying to contemplate what he had just heard. "So let me get this straight. You've created two monsters entirely from scratch nearly a year ago. You had to create these monsters through self mutilation...and you've kept these monsters a secret all this time?"

A simple "yes" was all that emerged from Gaster's mouth.

Asgore looked to Toriel briefly before looking back to Gaster. "I...I hope you realize that by keeping these children a secret, you are wrongfully imprisoning them. I...I would need to take these children away and give them to foster families and-"

Gaster's head shot up. While his main concern rose from Sans's precarious condition, he was in no hurry to reveal this to Asgore. For all he knew, Asgore would blame him for being reckless in the creation of the soul, resulting in the condition in the first place. Besides, he knew that this wouldn't be enough to change Asgore's mind. He tried to aim for Asgore's more emotional side.

"Wait - I have my reasons as to why I kept them a secret. For one, they're not normal. Like you said, they...had a unique method of creation; for this reason, I needed to pay extra attention for any unexpected results. Furthermore, they might be ostracized by the other children, being so different and all. Even if they were born naturally, we are the last skeletons around, meaning they would still be the outliers in the crowd. Not to mention, it would be just as cruel to take a child away from his father."

He knew Asgore would have to have some empathy, considering he was now a father himself. Toriel spoke before Asgore had a chance. "Would I be correct in assuming that...you did not conduct this project for your own curiosity?"

Gaster nodded slowly. "One thing that Amelia and I wanted to do was … well, have children. We weren't ever able to make this happen since she…" He trailed off. "… I figured, maybe I could create a monster, and raise it like I would a child. It … might restore some of the joy I once had."

He leaned forward, looking down so the royalty couldn't see his expression. Toriel exchanged another sympathetic look with Asgore, who sighed. Now that he knew the reasoning behind the project, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his old friend. All the same, he did have a duty to perform. He decided to investigate further.

"I want to see the children." He noticed Gaster grow rigid, betraying his reluctance to the idea. Asgore continued to speak.

"I need to know that they're at least being cared for properly."

Seeing this would be happening regardless, Gaster gave a single nod. "Very well your majesty."

Toriel stood up from the armchair. "I wish to come as well; this is a scenario that may require more than one mind. I will fetch Ishla." She turned on her heel and departed. Gaster glanced at Asgore, a confused expression on his face.

"Ah, the housemaid," Asgore explained. "Tori sometimes needs to aid me in matters with the kingdom, so we have her to look over Asriel when Tori can't."

Gaster nodded in acknowledgement. A few moments later, Toriel returned with Ishla in tow. He could hear them in the front foyer.

"A pleasure as always your majesty, enjoy your walk!"

Toriel responded. "Thank you again, I should be back in a few hours!" He heard footsteps moving further away, then Toriel looked into the living room.

"Shall we depart?"

Asgore nodded. "Please."

Gaster sighed as he followed the royal couple out of the house, preparing to reveal his most closely guarded secret.

* * *

Papyrus squinted at the plastic ball, ever so carefully rotating it towards him. "Almost there…" He heard a light clink, and his eyes widened. He had done it! He had finally conquered the maze ball! He carefully set the ball down on its stand, so as to preserve his achievement, before running off.

"Sans! Sans! San… Sans?" Papyrus stared at his brother, his accomplishment temporarily forgotten. "What are you doing?"

Sans didn't look up while answering. "Trying to open this combination lock, so I can go upstairs."

"But - but - but Doctor Gaster said that we're not allowed to! He said you could hurt yourself!"

"Eh, the way he talks about my condition, he makes it sound like I could die from rolling out of bed - which I've done a few times now and I'm still alive and kicking. Besides, I don't really know how much I trust the guy. He's done all these experiments on me, and still says nothing's changed."

"Sans, you know Doctor Gaster was trying to help you. He cares a lot about you."

"If he did, why are we locked down here all day and night? I know you're perfectly happy, but I'm not." There was a sudden click from the lock.

"Oh! Finally got it, it was 9764. You can come up if you're done with that maze ball of yours."

"I don't know, Sans - isn't Doctor Gaster coming back soon?"

"Eh, he should be out for another twenty minutes - that's plenty of time to explore. If you don't want to check it out, that's your loss." With that, he scampered up the stairs, and found what looked like the back of a bookcase. Puzzling for a few seconds, he noticed a pin that he could pull out. He was able to slide the bookcase partially to the side, and peered out into the living room. Not hearing anything, he called back down the stairs.

"Hey Pap, he's not home yet, come on!" He heard Papyrus still whimpering nervously as he crept up the stairs. Just as Sans began to push the bookcase further aside, he froze. A door was opening from somewhere else into the house. He whipped around, putting a finger to his mouth as he urged Papyrus to silently creep back. He turned back, but before he could pull the bookcase shut, Gaster walked into the room. Their eyes met.


	9. Condition

Asgore and Toriel entered the room behind Gaster, and followed his surprised stare towards the bookcase. Asgore glanced to Toriel, having had no idea there was a secret lower level in the home.

"How did you two…" Gaster trailed off as he approached the bookcase, shaking his head. "I will discuss this later. In any case, I was coming to get you; come, it's alright."

Sans and Papyrus glanced at each other, then followed Gaster out of the stairwell. When they exited into the living room, Sans watched as Gaster motioned for two other monsters to sit down on a sofa. Sans could tell the strangers were surprised to see them from the stunned looks on their faces.

"Uhh...G?" Sans queried to Gaster, hoping for an explanation. Papyrus whimpered and hid behind Gaster's white lab coat, clinging on tight as he peered around at them. Gaster sighed as he nodded to the two monsters.

"There's no need to be frightened. These are two very close friends of mine, Asgore and Toriel. Your majesties, meet Sans and Papyrus."

Sans could hardly believe it. He recognized the names from lessons Gaster had given them, stating that they were the king and queen of the place they lived in. But he had pictured them to be incredibly fierce looking, not huggable. Papyrus slowly crept out from behind Gaster, taking a bit more of a curious interest in the visitors. Asgore shook his head in disbelief.

"I...I have to admit Dings, I wasn't sure what to expect." Gaster said nothing, watching the two skeleton brothers closely. Asgore looked up to Gaster.

"Do you mind if I have a word with them?"

Gaster slowly nodded. "Yes...Yes of course. Sans, Papyrus, I'll just be in the kitchen." The scientist left for the kitchen, intending on making a cup of tea to help ease his nerves. As he left, Toriel stood up to accompany him. Asgore waited until they were out of earshot before looking once more to Sans and Papyrus. Papyrus moved closer to Sans, putting his brother between himself and the king and barely meeting Asgore's gaze. The king gave him a kind smile. Papyrus looked away, while Sans stared back. He ended up speaking first.

"So, you're the king huh?"

Asgore nodded. "I hope this doesn't affect things, I realize my size can be somewhat intimidating."

"I thought you would look a lot fiercer." Sans chuckled.

Asgore maintained his kind grin. "Well, sometimes it's good to keep an open mind and not make assumptions, yes? I need to ask you two a few questions about Doctor Gaster if I may?"

Sans nodded. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

Asgore tried to put on a more serious face. "How do you like living with the doctor? Does he treat you well?"

Sans spoke first. "He's alright, though I keep asking him for more reading material. Everything he's given me so far is too easy."

Asgore looked on approvingly. At least they were literate. He then looked to Papyrus who was beginning to warm up a bit more to him. The skeleton answered in a somewhat quieter voice.

"Well...he...he's got a lot of hard puzzles to try, those keep me entertained for a long time. Oh, oh, oh and, and he makes really good spa, spaghetti too."

"What about physically?" Asgore asked, hoping to pry deeper. "Does he make sure you're both in good health? What are your living conditions like?"

Sans answered this question for both of them. "He does checkups on us each day, so I guess he takes care of us medically. We haven't really seen anything outside of the lab downstairs; this is the first time he's let us upstairs. He's forcing us to paint the walls downstairs."

Asgore thought about this for a moment, trying to see into Sans' soul. He could tell there was more beneath the surface. The shorter skeleton hadn't met his gaze during his answer, despite having his head turned to him. He looked like he was trying to gaze at the wall behind them. Asgore decided to drop the matter for now. He looked up as Toriel and Gaster walked back in. Gaster was holding a steaming cup of tea. Asgore looked to the scientist, and Gaster read the look in his eyes. He nodded to Sans and Papyrus.

"Why don't you two run along downstairs, we need to have a discussion."

Reluctantly, the two children crept back downstairs. Asgore spoke first. "I must say, you appear to have been doing a good job in raising them...although there is one thing that's bothering me."

Gaster frowned as Asgore continued. "Sans does not appear to be telling me everything. He refused to make direct eye contact with me, and I noticed his answers were quick and vague. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

Gaster sighed deeply. While he knew Sans and he weren't exactly on the best of terms, he had assumed Sans was at a point where he could trust the scientist again. With this in mind, Gaster reasoned he must have been trying to keep his delicate situation hidden from Asgore, although it was inevitable that the king would have found out eventually. He thought at Asgore's home he may have had more time to figure out a way to nicely shape the news, but now, he was out of time.

"I...I do. Sans has a very…unique condition. I expect he was trying not to give you this information. It's...hard to explain, you wouldn't believe me if I just told you. Wait one moment." He disappeared downstairs, returning a minute later with two sheets of paper in his hands. He handed the first page to Asgore, who looked it over. On it were several abbreviations with numbers beside them. He recognized the abbreviations being the stats for a monster.

"What am I looking at Dings?"

Gaster looked to the paper. "Those your highness, are the stats for Papyrus, recorded as of one week ago. These stats are right on average for what a monster of his type and age should have. Now these…" He handed the second page to Asgore. "...are Sans' stats." Asgore felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw every alarmingly low number. Gaster continued to explain.

"These are the stats recorded from Sans, also exactly one week ago. Over the past few months, Papyrus's stats have developed with time, but Sans's, they have remained stagnant. Your son Asriel, has a higher chance of survival than Sans does. If he so much as scratches himself, he could, and would, die." Toriel's eyes widened as she took in the prospect with Asgore. Asgore looked up in shock to Gaster.

"Why did this happen?"

Gaster sighed. "I...I don't know. I've been spending all of my free time in trying to find a solution. The last time I tried was on the morning after Asriel was born. I thought I had the solution. But, when I tried to administer a treatment to Sans, he said it was hurting him. He lashed out at me. To make a long story short, that is where the scars on my skull came from." Asgore took a deep breath, then paused again as he saw the final stat. MAG: 29. He pointed to the paper and showed it to Gaster.

"Is that a transcription error Dings?"

Gaster shook his head. "I wish it wasn't your highness. Yes, his magic ability stat is extraordinarily high. It's over three times the average of a normal monster, in fact that stat is nearly the same amount as both you and Lady Toriel combined!" Asgore's hand took on a small orange glow as he checked himself, seeing that his own magic ability stat was 16. He was stunned.

"How is that possible?"

Gaster's tone was grim. "That's the problem. It shouldn't be possible. This is the first monster in history this has happened to. With all his other low stats, if he's got that much magic ability inside him, that alone should be killing him. I have no idea how, but he's been in perfect health nonetheless. There is something else though."

Both of them looked up again as he spoke. "When Sans attacked me that day...there was something about the way he attacked me. It looks like he summoned what I can only describe as the skull of a great beast, or animal. This skull opened its mouth, and I was hit with a blast of magic. That skull though...there was something about it. It had eyes. It could see. It was as if Sans had conjured a sort of 'animal' and could control it."

Asgore glanced to Toriel, then back to Gaster. "What does that mean?"

Gaster closed his eyes. "I don't know. That's what scares me though. If he's capable of doing that now, who knows how powerful he could become?" Asgore once more tried to contemplate what he had heard, but he still found it hard to believe.

"I want to check him for myself, as well as see how they're living."

Gaster had all but given in at this point, and he simply nodded. "Follow me please." Asgore followed Gaster down the stairs, As they exited into the main hallway, Gaster spoke quickly.

"Watch the walls your highness, the paint is still wet." Asgore glanced to the walls, spotting the newspapers and the painting supplies littering the floor. He stuck to the center of the hallway, following Gaster around as he showed him around the lab. Many of the rooms still looked somewhat gloomy from the gray walls, and Asgore could understand why Gaster might want to have them painted.

"_It could even make for a good father-son activity…" _The thought flashed through Asgore's mind, and he began to understand Sans's words about Gaster 'forcing' them to paint the walls. Gaster stood aside as he opened the door to the bedroom of the children. Asgore nodded at the two and spoke immediately to Sans.

"If I may my child, there is one last thing I need to do. Could you come here please?" Sans walked towards Asgore with a suspicious look. As he stood still, he noticed Asgore's hand glow a soft pale orange, and his brow furrowed. Sans had a feeling what the king was doing, though for why, he had no clue. Asgore nodded once, then turned away and left the room. Gaster followed the king back upstairs to where Toriel was waiting. Asgore spoke in a soft voice to Toriel.

"Tori, a word please?" Toriel nodded and the two left the living room. Wanting to hear what they were saying, Gaster crept to the doorway, staying just beside it as he strained to listen to what they were saying. He heard Toriel's voice speak first.

"What are you thinking?"

Asgore responded. "I don't know...it's a very...shall we say, 'unusual' situation. The report Dings had doesn't lie. The question is, what do we do about it?"

Toriel sounded confused. "What do you mean?"

Asgore took a deep breath. "I mean...he's a very close friend, you know this as well as I do. The last thing I want to do is to punish him. But, I may not have a choice. He kept this project a secret for years, kept these children locked in a basement for who knows how long? The responsible thing to do would be well, fire him, and take the children away."

Toriel sounded stunned. "How could you even think of doing such a thing?"

Asgore groaned. "I don't want to do it, but I may not have a choice! If anything, Sans' condition may have come from the way his soul is developed, meaning that Gaster is the very reason why he's at constant risk of death!"

Gaster gritted his teeth as he listened to the conversation. As he looked down, he nearly jumped when he saw Papyrus peering from behind a lamp close by, also listening to the conversation. He stared at Gaster through wide eyes, and looked horrified. Gaster knelt down by him, speaking in a hushed voice.

"Papyrus, what are you doing here? I told you to stay downstairs?"

Papyrus sniffled. "I-Is it true? C-Could he take us a-away?"

Gaster could feel emotions beginning to well up, and he fought to suppress them. "Go downstairs to your brother, I will be down shortly, alright?"

Papyrus nodded, rubbing an eye. "Alright…" He quickly guided Papyrus back to the stairs, and managed to stand up just as Asgore and Toriel walked back into the room. Gaster braced himself for the news. Just before Asgore could speak though, there was a loud knock at the door. After exchanging awkward glances, Gaster walked to the door and opened it. Standing outside was the royal messenger.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Doctor Gaster, but is her majesty Lady Toriel still here? I was told to fetch her at once."

Gaster nodded numbly. "Yes...yes she is." He turned from the door and nodded to Toriel, who joined him at the door. The messenger gave a quick bow before speaking to Toriel.

"I'm terribly to disturb you your majesty, but Ishla told me that she requires your presence at the castle. Prince Asriel is really upset and she's unable to calm him."

Toriel sighed heavily. "No trouble, thank you dear. I will be along momentarily." Gaster looked over his shoulder as Toriel explained the situation to Asgore, who nodded. The two of them began to leave, but Gaster called after them.

"Wait your highness, what about the children?"

Asgore closed his eyes in thought. "I need time to think about it. I'll visit you again tomorrow." Before Gaster could say more, Asgore and Toriel walked away, with the messenger in tow. Gaster closed the door, and let his forehead thud against the wood. He took a deep breath, before turning and walking downstairs. He opened the door to the children's bedroom, and turned to Sans.

"You and I need to talk. Come." Sans rolled his eyes and followed Gaster out into the hallway.

"Sans, I want you to explain to me _exactly_ why you thought you could just go upstairs as you pleased! Actually, first, how did you get upstairs? The door was locked!"

"Oh, I just brute-forced it and tried every possibility," Sans replied, his face deadpan.

"There's ten thousand possibilities. It would've taken you several hours."

"I saw you unlock it last week and figured out the last digit. Drops the time to less than half an hour."

Gaster wasn't sure whether he should be proud of Sans's ingenuity or displeased with his mischievousness. He continued, maintaining a neutral expression. "Alright, now why did you do that?"

Sans looked away and didn't say anything. Gaster continued, his parental instincts beginning to take over. "What were you thinking?! If I hadn't gotten home, who knows what could have happened?!"

Sans turned on Gaster, bristling in fury. "What do you expect?! You keep us locked down here day and night, you _never_ tell us what's upstairs, and you won't even let us up there with your supervision! Besides, what good have you done for me?! You haven't changed anything!"

The words dug into Gaster like knives. The pain was quickly replaced with anger. "Listen here Sans, _everything_ I have done here has been in an attempt to help you! I have been staying up day and night trying to find a solution for your condition!"

He stopped as he heard a sniff from inside the bedroom. Gaster looked down at Sans.

"We will continue this discussion at a later date." He then turned and walked back into the room. Papyrus was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor. He appeared to be in distress. The scientist shot another cold look at Sans before walking to sit with Papyrus.

"What's wrong?"

Papyrus leaned against Gaster and began crying. "I-I don't want t-t-to be taken away f-from you!"

Gaster felt an emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time. He slowly placed an arm around Papyrus, holding him close. His hand trailed up and down Papyrus's spine as he tried to comfort the child. He choked back a tear himself as he looked back to Sans.

"I...I know I may not show it in the best way...but I truly do care about both of you. The last thing I want is for either of you to get hurt. It's why I've been keeping you two down here. I haven't wanted to let you two roam far in case something ever happened. But, I always have, and always will love you two as my sons. I promise you, if they're going to take you away from me, they're going to have to get through me first." Papyrus sniffed again as he began to slowly calm down. Down the hall, Sans grunted. With clenched fists, he began to walk to the supply closet.


	10. Healing Fractures

Gaster stood against the concrete wall of the underground training wall, watching as Sans levitated a small mug in the air, a few feet in front of him. For weeks the scientist had been trying to help Sans hone his magic skills, and try to find out what else he could do. Usually Gaster conducted the training sessions to try and help Sans, and it was one of the only times where the scientist felt like he could connect with the young skeleton. This time, though, he was just trying to distract himself.

Sleep was once more unable to claim him. Papyrus had stuck to Gaster like glue ever since the visit of the king and queen, though he had managed to convince him to try another one of the jigsaw puzzles while he focused on Sans.

Gaster glanced down to his watch and huffed. The king would be arriving any minute now with his final decision. He looked back up to Sans.

"That's enough for one day. I must say you've improved immensely since the last session."

"Whatever." Sans grunted under his breath, pushing past Gaster and retiring to his room. Shaking his head, the scientist took the stairs up and out of the lab. He walked to the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards, pulling a box of golden flower tea down from the top shelf. If he was going to hear bad news, at least he could be taking it with a beverage he somewhat liked. He turned away as he waited for the hot water to boil, busying himself by taking a stack of notes from previous smaller experiments, and organizing them into binders. He turned back, removing the kettle as it began to give a loud whistle. As he set it aside, he heard the inevitable knock at the door.

Bracing himself, Gaster walked to the door and opened it, standing aside when he saw Asgore in. The king had a solemn expression on his face as he entered. He nearly choked on the three words he spoke to Asgore.

"Tea, your highness?"

"Not today Doctor. I appreciate the offer though." Asgore's responded. Gaster nodded and closed the door behind him. Forgetting almost immediately about the tea, the two walked to the living room, and sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, before the scientist spoke up.

"If you're going to be taking them away...at least give me a proper chance to say goodbye."

Asgore gave him a sympathetic smile before sighing. "I must admit this was not an easy decision. Lady Toriel and I discussed this for well over an hour last night. Under normal circumstances, I would need to take the children away. However...these are far from normal circumstances.

"It's very clear that you care deeply for the children. I have seen how you've raised them, and you appear to be doing a fine job. There is also the case of Sans' condition. I feel like it would not just be unjust, but unsafe to take Sans away from you because of it. No monster knows more about this than you do. It would likely be sentencing him to death to restrict his access to you. That...and as a father, the last thing I would want is to have my son taken as well, when all I've been doing is helping him."

Gaster looked up as Asgore delivered his final verdict. "I have decided to allow you to keep the children. But, I do have a few conditions."

Gaster exhaled a sigh of relief. He hadn't even noticed he was holding his breath. "Thank you so much, your majesty, for understanding...what are these conditions?"

"For one, I want to stop in once a month to make sure they're still being cared for properly." Asgore began. "Two, I want you to allow them into the rest of the house. You can't keep them locked down there forever. Third, I want you to let them outside-"

The scientist's head snapped up. "No. Absolutely not. It's far too dangerous for Sans in his delicate state! I fear that when he finds friends to play with… simply, I'm sure you're aware of how...rough, kids playing can be."

Asgore thought about this for a moment before coming up with an idea. "What if you were to create a fence in the backyard? You could let them roam there, and it'll be easier to supervise them. Not to mention, they need some fresh air."

Gaster's eyes narrowed. "I don't know how 'fresh' the air down here is your majesty."

Asgore just barely managed to hold back his chuckle, maintaining his serious look. Gaster then backed down, seeing as there wasn't anything better he could offer.. "I can accommodate a backyard fence. Thank you."

Asgore stood up with the scientist, walking to the door. "I appreciate you taking the time, Dr. Gaster."

The skeleton nodded, though he remembered something right before Asgore could leave. "Oh, your highness?"

Asgore turned around, giving him a curious look. "Can I ask that you continue to keep the children a secret from the public? I don't want to have people poking around here. Especially the prince. I promise, when they are ready and it is safe to do so, I will let them join up with the rest of society."

Asgore sighed heavily, then nodded. "Very well. Please though, take good care of them. I will see you later."

The scientist gave a single wave of farewell, before the door clicked shut behind Asgore. With that business taken care of, Gaster turned on his heel and walked down to the basement to break the good news to the children. As he entered the bedroom, he recognized a suitcase on Sans' bed, one he had tucked away in the storage room. Sans was kneeling over it, packing his few belongings into it.

"Sans, what are you doing?"

Sans didn't look up. "We're leaving, right? Figured I'd get my things together and get out of here quicker." Gaster tried to take a deep breath, but it was easy to pick up the shakiness as he drew in the air."Why - why would you want to leave?"

Sans glanced up with a cold look in his eyes. "Because you never do anything to help us. I told you that last night didn't I?"

Gaster glanced at Papyrus, who was sitting across the room, looking anxious. Gaster motioned to the two of them.

"I have something I would like to show you. Follow me? Please?" Papyrus stood up immediately, while Sans was clearly a bit more hesitant. Still, seeing Papyrus beginning to follow Gaster out of the room, he stood up and hurried to catch up to them.

They followed Gaster down the hall to his study. The scientist sat down on a chair and took a photo from the desk, handing it to the two children to look at. The grainy photo had a slightly cracked edge and the outer borders were growing a light yellow.

Despite the quality being less than ideal, they immediately recognized Gaster in the picture, although Sans noted there was a huge smile on his face, something he had never seen before. There was a second skeleton in the picture.

"Who's that?" Papyrus piped up.

Gaster sighed. "That, Papyrus, was the love of my life, Amelia. She and I lived together for several years. This picture was taken when we still lived on the surface." Sans glanced up. He had never seen Amelia around the house, and their creator certainly had never mentioned her.

"So, where is she?"

Gaster's eyes seemed to stare past them. "Amelia was a commander in the Royal Guard. She fought very bravely to save us all in the final hours of the war. I still remember it like it was yesterday. We call it "The Battle of Ebott Mountain." It was no battle. It was a slaughter. The day before we fled underground, humans launched a massive attack on monster defenders close to Mount Ebott. When we were driven Underground, I saw things you couldn't possibly imagine. She fought very bravely...but she died that day...

"Before she died, we had been discussing well, having children. This is something that never happened because... For decades I was unable to think clearly. Then, I remembered a project from a long time ago, one I had scrapped when we were forced to leave our homes. The creation of artificial souls. I thought maybe...I could have children anyway, even if they weren't entirely natural." Sans gazed at the picture of the two skeletons. They looked about as happy as anyone could possibly be. Gaster continued.

"I don't see you two as lab experiments. I see you two as my children. That means that if there's something wrong, I will do whatever it takes to try and fix it. Now Sans...I realize that some of my judgement has been clouded, and no amount of apologies can change that. But I want you to know that everything I have done, has been to help you. It was never my intention to hurt you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Sans mumbled, the story humbling him. "Yeah...I guess I can…"

Gaster nodded solemnly. "King Asgore has told me that you two can stay in my care. There will be changes. You two are now going to be allowed to explore the _whole_ house. I'll be constructing a fence in the backyard where you will be allowed to play as well under close supervision. However, I would appreciate it if you were never to answer the front door. That door will be for me alone. Is that clear?"

Both children nodded, and looked almost happy to be allowed into the rest of the house. Gaster continued.

"I know there will be disagreements, even fights. That's just what comes with being a family. But I want you two to know that even when it doesn't look like it, I care about you more than anything in the world. I would die before I allowed anything bad to happen to either of you."

There was silence before Papyrus stood up, throwing his arms around Gaster in a tight hug. Gaster was caught off guard, but embraced him back. Sans looked down to the floor, then stood up and turned around, quietly leaving the study.

* * *

The key turned in the lock as Gaster pushed open the front door. He was just returning from the inspection he missed two days ago. He had pushed it back by another day so he could show Sans and Papyrus around the house and where they could go in the backyard. He made sure to lock the door behind him, then walked around the house in search of the brothers. He frowned as he scrounged through the rooms of the house, unable to find any sign of them. They weren't even downstairs in their bedroom, which is where he had at least expected to find Sans taking another one of his naps. Gaster turned and began to walk back upstairs, when he suddenly heard the sound of something crashing to the ground outside. Fearing the worst, he sprinted up the remaining stairs, darting for the backyard.

As he opened the back door, he froze as he saw Papyrus kneeling over Sans who was laying on the ground. Papyrus looked up, looking pale and horrified.

"D-Doctor G-Gaster! H-He…" Gasted quickly moved forward, crouching by Sans. The skeleton was unconscious, groaning weakly. He spotted a couple broken branches beside him. Gaster saw the beginning of a crack on Sans' skull.

Tenderly, Gaster tilted Sans's' head to the side, and saw that the back of his skull had been badly fractured. Gaster's left eye glowed blue as he checked Sans. His HP was 0.35, and slowly depleting. Gaster knew he didn't have much time. He glanced to Papyrus as he gently held Sans's head to keep it steady.

"Run down to the lab and grab the green emergency medical kit. It's sitting on the first table on your left when you enter the medical room. Go, now!"

Papyrus was frozen, but Gaster's words snapped him from his trance and he ran inside. The scientist shook his head, looking down at Sans. He shifted Sans slightly so he wasn't so close to the splintered branch, before shrugging off his coat and using it as a small, makeshift cushion to help prop up Sans head. His gaze flickered back to the door, willing Papyrus to arrive faster. Gaster once more lifted Sans' head up, and using part of his shirt, began to tenderly brush away bits of dust and dirt that clung to the wound.

As Gaster cleared away the last bit of grime, Papyrus returned carrying the small green case. Gaster snatched it from his hands, opening it up beside Sans. He took out a roll of gauze and a special solution he had created for this precise emergency. Unscrewing the cap from the bottle, Gaster let the solution soak the gauze. He set the bottle aside uncapped, scrambling to wrap the gauze slowly around Sans' skull.

Gaster placed a hand on Sans' head, letting the solution soak into the wound. He quickly checked Sans again, and was relieved to see that his health had stopped depleting, though it would take a while for his health to be back to normal.

He looked over to Papyrus. "What...happened?"

Papyrus was hesitant to answer, but seeing Sans in such a state, he replied. "W-W-We were playing hide a-and seek. H-He hid up in a tree I-I think, and when I c-came out, t-t-the branch snapped and he fell d-down!"

Gaster slowly nodded in response. "I see...Sans will be fine Papyrus, I will stay with him. Why don't you go and rest? It will help to calm your nerves." Papyrus reluctantly left, his gaze lingering as Sans as he walked back inside. Gaster slid his arms underneath Sans' spine, lifting him up tenderly. He would return to fetch the first aid kit later. Making sure not to brush the walls, the scientist carried Sans inside. He laid Sans onto the couch, not willing to risk bringing him downstairs and potentially tripping. Standing back up, he walked to the storage closet, to grab a broom. As he swept the floor, Gaster made sure he always kept an eye on Sans.

* * *

The minutes ticked by, slowly stretching into hours. When Gaster had finished cleaning the living room, he dragged over a desk, letting him watch over Sans as he worked. He looked up sharply as Sans shifted, slowly blinking himself awake. The scientist put down the pen he was writing with and moving to Sans's side. The scientist put a hand on his shoulder.

"Lie still, you likely have a concussion."

Sans slowly tilted his head to look at Gaster. The scientist spoke quietly. "Papyrus told me about what happened. I did warn you to be very careful, and that you shouldn't climb that tree. Why didn't you listen to me?"

Sans shrugged. "I...I don't know...guess I thought you were being...a bit paranoid."

The scientist sighed. "I suspected as much. Sans, I know you don't agree with me on a lot of things...but you need to at least trust me. You don't need to like me, but at least trust me, that when I warn you not to do certain things, it's because you could wind up in a situation like this. You got very lucky today." Sans only nodded in response. The scientist smiled warmly. "How about we agree to make this the final time we have a close call like this, hmm?"

Sans nodded, smiling as well. "Yeah...sounds...sounds good."

Gaster stood up. "Lay back, get some sleep. You'll feel better if you do." Sans leaned his head back and let his eyes close again. Gaster stood up and turned the light off, leaving Sans to sleep.


	11. The Great Tremor

The fingers of his gloved hands intertwined with each other behind his back. As Gaster neared the site of the Core, the noise of hammering, shouting, and occasionally clang of a metal beam grew ever louder. It was once again time for a weekly inspection of the building site.

Nearly four years had passed since Asgore had been introduced to Sans and Papyrus. During this time, Sans had grown much more skilled in his magic abilities, and while he still didn't trust Gaster as much as Papyrus, he at least had grown to hold a sense of respect for the scientist, and thankfully, there had been no other close calls since Sans had fallen from the tree. Papyrus was also doing well, and was showing promise in his studies. It was a much more tedious task to try and school the somewhat dim skeleton, though Sans's ability to self learn meant Gaster could focus more of his time worrying about Papyrus.

Gaster had also been trying to find ways to help Sans to live with his condition, making sure that if Sans wasn't strong enough to take hurt, he would be agile enough to avoid it. During training sessions, Sans was dodging tennis balls, improving his physical strength, or some other exercise to improve his nimbleness.

Construction on the Core had been proceeding more than smoothly - they were seven months ahead of schedule, mostly because of improved morale and an influx of new workers. Ever since the tragic accident years ago, there had been no serious injuries at the site, although there had been a few close calls. These near misses had led to improvements being made around the site, such as chest-high rails on all the walkways, wider paths, and the implementation of a safety training program for workers. Protests against the Core had finally ground to a halt over two years ago, much to Gaster's relief.

Tobias nodded as Gaster approached him, and the two began to walk together as the inspection began, clipboards in hand.

"Anything to report?" Gaster questioned Tobias as he stepped onto the first of many catwalks. Tobias shook his head.

"Nothin'. All's been quiet this week."

Gaster only nodded approvingly. No news was good news. Gaster began his inspection as always, snaking his way through each sector in the site. When he wasn't walking to another inspection point, the scientist was busy taking notes and ticking off checkboxes. Every bit of scaffolding had to have its safety validated, and every worker needed to be following protocol.

Two hours came and went, and he was nearing completion of the usual inspection. There were just a couple more areas to look through. He paused at a brightly painted red line on the walkway, and several harnesses hung against a temporary wall. Both he and Tobias grabbed a harness, fastening them on before clipping them onto a second rail at waist-height.

The harnesses had been an idea of Tobias, and the scientist was glad he had made them. The walkways they were walking on overlooked one of the magma pools that would be providing the heat required to power the Core. Gaster couldn't help but shiver at the thought of falling into the magma, meeting the same fate as the worker years ago. Since this walkway had been built over one of the magma pools, and there were no walls by the catwalk, Tobias had proposed an extra safety precaution until the area was more stable. In the event that one of them somehow managed to get over the railing, the harness would prevent them from falling to an incredibly painful death.

Slowly, Gaster stepped out onto the catwalk, the metal ring of the harness rubbing against the railing as they walked along the path. They had made it about thirty paces when Gaster paused, and frowned. He turned to Tobias.

"Did you feel that?"

Tobias looked puzzled. "Feel what?"

Gaster held a hand up. There was definitely something, a very low vibration.

"...That…"

Tobias looked around, then his eyes widened as the vibration picked up into a low rumble. "Whoa!"

Gaster quickly snagged onto the railing. "It's a tremor! Hold on to the railings, and _don't move_!"

* * *

Toriel hummed softly as she placed three strawberries atop a small cake. She carefully picked up the tray, carrying the cake towards the dinner table. As she approached the table though, she frowned as she the water inside one of the cups on the table shivering. She set the cake down and stared curiously at the glass, wondering what was causing it.

A sudden crash caused Toriel to look up. "My china!" she exclaimed - but before she could mourn for her porcelain, she realized the world was shaking, a low rumbling filling the room. The rest of the settings at the table were rattling a dissonant song. She looked up. A chandelier shook itself free from the ceiling, and she watched in horror as it smashed into the ground. Toriel yelped as she flinched away, shielding her eyes from the glass. She turned her head back, staring at the destroyed furnishing in a shell-shocked trance.

"Asriel…" She mouthed.. She broke her trance, sprinting to her son's room and shoving the door open.

Toriel froze once again. A large portion of the floor had crumbled away, leaving a gaping hole to the halls below. At the bottom of the hole, she could see destroyed furnishings littering the floor. A dresser had toppled from its place on the wall, and had crushed the bed. Asriel was nowhere to be seen. She cupped her mouth with her hands, dropping to her knees. All she could imagine was Asriel's final terrified moments before being killed by the debris. She let out a tormented cry.

* * *

Papyrus sighed, throwing a ball to the floor, then watching as it bounced up, and off from the wall, back into his hands. He once more looked over to Sans, who slept soundly, a pillow covering his face. Groaning loudly, Papyrus threw himself back onto the mattress.

Boredom had finally claimed the skeleton as his usually energetic mind had seemingly reached its limit. Papyrus sighed as he closed his eyes and tried to nap. But, sleep would not come so easily. He had so much energy pent up in him that he was practically shaking with it. Frowning, he sat up when he realized that it was in fact his bed that was shaking. A slight _whumpf_ caught his attention. Papyrus snapped his head to the side. Two books had fallen to the floor, and the entire bookcase looked like it was teetering. As he felt the bed vibrate harder, Papyrus jumped out and rapidly shook Sans.

"Sans, wake up!"

Sans grumbled as he pushed the pillow off. "Mmghmmuuuh?...Pap, stop shaking the bed would you? Tryin' to sleep…"

Papyrus looked around nervously. "S-Sans, that's not m-me!"

This got Sans's attention. His eyes shot open. He sat up, staring at Papyrus. Trying to make himself heard over the rumbling, he shouted at Papyrus. "Is Gaster doing something upstairs?"

Papyrus's eyebrows were raising every second, and his breaths were short and quick. "N-No, he's not back from his inspection yet!"

Sans racked his brain, trying to think of what to do. From his peripherals, he saw the bookcase beginning to fall. He jumped up and gripped Papyrus's arm. He gave a hard tug, bracing himself against the bed. The bookshelf smashed into the floor, the books within being thrown into disarray. Sans jumped as Papyrus let out a scream of pain. He looked down. Papyrus's foot was caught underneath.

* * *

Tobias grabbed onto the railing and braced, hanging on as the whole construction site shook, as if the earthquake was coming from inside the mountain itself. The shaking was bone rattling as it picked up in violence. Gaster got down on his knees to avoid slipping and falling.

The scientist heard crumbling. He strained his ears. "_The construction site must be falling apart…" _Debris from the ceiling began to rain down from the ceiling. Boulders the size of carriages were slamming into the magma pools, splashing lava unpredictably. Gaster glanced behind him. Instinctively, he jerked his feet forward. Two drops of the burning ooze landed where his feet were a moment ago. His eyes flashed towards the opposite edge as the splashed magma landed on the railings at the end, beginning to melt the metal.

Moments later, the rumbling died away, but the magma continued to chew away at the metal catwalk. Tobias followed his horrified gaze. Gaster slowly looked down to the harness he wore. If the platform were to fall, the harness would keep him attached to the falling catwalk, and the very safety feature intended to prevent an accident, could result in a fatality. He looked to Tobias.

"Listen very closely to me. Unhook your harness. We don't want to risk the railing breaking with us still hooked to it. Walk to the other end with me. Do not panic - we can both make it out of here alive. Do you understand?"

Tobias nodded. Together, they unhooked the metal loops from the railing, stepping back into the center of the walkway. Gaster took the first step towards the end, the catwalk giving a sickening groan. He cringed at the sound, but the two began to carefully walk to the other end.

With every movement, the platform creaked, straining as it was pushed well beyond what it was designed to handle. It was barely holding up the weight of itself, let alone the two monsters walking on it. Gaster could feel the catwalk shifting and sinking underneath him. He could only hope that it wouldn't buckle in the next minute. The scientist glanced back towards the damaged support, just in time to see it snap in half. The platform slipped downwards, felling the two onto their backs. They were out of time.

* * *

"M-Mommy! W-What's happening?!"

Toriel gasped in relief when she saw her son's head poke out from underneath the bed frame, still intact. Asriel looked up, terror flashing in his eyes. She pulled Asriel from under the bed and held him close.

"Just keep your head down Asriel, everything is going to be fine!"

She grunted as she lifted him up. She carried Asriel out of the room, wobbling as the rumbling intensified. She turned left. She stopped.

Chunks of the ceiling had given in. The debris had piled up, leaving no access to the front door. Toriel let out a startled shriek, and Asriel gave another terrified cry. She instantly turned him around, and into the kitchen.

She urged Asriel underneath the dining room table. She struggled to hide her own fear from him as he buried his head in Toriel's shoulder. Her eyes flicked left and right, watching as debris from various furnishings and foundation crumbled down around them.

The thought of Asgore flashed into her mind. She hadn't seen him since the start of the tremor, and the thought of him laying somewhere hurt or worse sickened her. As if he could sense her thoughts, Asriel wailed.

"W-Where's D-Daddy?!"

Toriel stroked his head, trying to soothe him. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine…"

She tried to keep her nagging doubts from Asriel. After what felt like an eternity, the rumbling slowly died away. The eerie silence was broken only by Asriel's pitiful whimpering.

* * *

Sans acted fast, struggling to lift the bookcase off, but to no avail. He thought back to his magic training. Trying to focus over the growing din, Sans' right hand began to glow blue. Dust sprinkled from the ceiling, and Sans shook his head, trying to keep it out of his eyes. He struggled to lift the bookcase up. He managed to raise it up by just a few inches, barely enough so that Papyrus could wriggle his foot out. Sans looked down to the foot. There were more bone pieces than there should be - several must've fractured into pieces.

Sans looked up, but immediately regretted doing so. Dust filled his eyesockets, and he blinked several times. The image of the ceiling breaking into pieces, dust pouring out from the newly opened cracks, was nonetheless implanted in his mind. A small piece of plaster fell down, landing on Papyrus's bed. A larger chunk followed. Piece by piece, the ceiling was collapsing. A chair fell through one of the newly created holes, splintering into pieces. With the loud rumbling and crashing, Sans barely heard the chair hit the ground.

He saw a block of plaster directly above them start to break free, the leg of a table poking through. Sans rolled to the side, in the same moment using his magic to throw Papyrus off the bed. The table fell through, missing the pair by inches. Sans pointed at Papyrus's bed. "Get underneath!" he shouted. Sans could barely hear his own words, and could only hope that Papyrus understood what he was trying to say.

Papyrus snapped from his shock and quickly scrambled underneath the bed. Sans dove underneath his, holding his head as the rumbling shook him down to his soul. As more debris fell from the upper floor, he could hear his bed groaning from the undue stress.

* * *

Gaster scrambled back to his feet. He could see the cliff edge - just a few paces away, on a now much steeper catwalk that was sinking into the magma. The skeleton broke out running, jumping the final pace onto the rocky ledge beyond. Immediately he spun around, watching as Tobias sprinted towards him. The end of the walkway was already twice as far as when Gaster jumped. Tobias leapt towards the edge - but he was too slow. Gaster dove forward and managed to grab onto his arm, using his other hand to stop himself before the two could slide over the edge.

Gaster grunted as he tried to pull Tobias up, but wasn't able to. "Errgh!...Y...You're too...heavy!"

Tobias's eyes widened, and he spoke with an ever quickening pace. "D-Don't let go! Please!"

Gaster groaned as he continued to struggle. "I-I'm trying!" He flinched, nearly dropping Tobias - something was raining down on his head. He craned his head upwards. Yet another of the boulders was loosening from the ceiling, and it would take only seconds for it to break free.

"_If that were to come down here…"_ He shook his head. He tried once more to desperately pull Tobias up, but it was in vain. Tobias had also seen the boulder. Gaster looked down at the foreman and shouted.

"I can't! If I try to pull you up, we'll both die!"

"W-Wait! _No! YOU CAN'T!"_ A deep betrayal in his eyes, Tobias clawed desperately at Gaster's arm.

Gaster gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to look Tobias in the eye. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. He heard a faint crack - the boulder was plummeting down. Gaster wrenched his arm free from Tobias and rolled to the side. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Tobias's terrified scream. The scream was cut off by a thundering boom when the boulder slammed into the cliffside.

Gaster scrambled backwards as the cliffside began to gave way, just barely managing to make it to stable ground. Once he was safe, his legs gave out and he collapsed against the cliff face, his chest heaving. The scientist leaned his head back against the cliff face, closing his eyes as the realisation of what he had done began to set in.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there - it could've been minutes or hours. He heard the clobber of footsteps approaching to the left. He turned his head to the side, seeing some dirtied work boots. He pushed himself upright, finding himself face to face with another worker. The worker's face was covered with dirt and grime, with a painful-looking gash on his cheek.

"Oh thank goodness - you're alive! We didn't see you at the muster point, and I heard the catwalk over there fall into the magma." The worker paused, looking around. "Uh...where's Foreman Tobias?"

Gaster couldn't find the nerve to speak, only stared blankly ahead at where the catwalk once stood. The worker paused. He wouldn't be getting an answer, yet he wouldn't need one. He sighed.

"I see. I'm sure you did what you could. Come on, it's not safe here." After taking one final glance, Gaster began to follow the worker back to more stable ground.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

**Hello everybody! I do apologize that my upload schedule has somewhat dropped off from what it used to be. It's taking just a bit longer nowadays because when we're writing these chapters, we want to make sure that it is as good as it can possibly be. This often means discussing certain elements to justify it, or even re-writing some parts entirely.**

**As time goes on we will be making efforts to hopefully reduce the time in between chapters. Until next time!**


	12. Escape

Gaster still found himself shaking inwardly as he walked down the final steps out of the construction site. He looked up as he and the worker approached the muster station, where dozens of construction workers stood. Many of them looked worse for wear, and several bore injuries suffered in the tremor. As Gaster approached, the group looked to him, wanting answers. Gaster pushed his thoughts down, and cleared his throat as he stood up straighter. One of the workers stepped forward.

"Earl Reeve, construction supervisor." He shook Gaster's hand.

"Is everybody accounted for?" Gaster inquired.

"We've done a head count of everyone here. There...appeared to have been several casualties. Of the 253 workers on site, this group holds 187 of them. Most of us are still able to walk, but there's a few who are undergoing urgent care. They've been taken to the medical center. Or at least, those that could be moved. The ones that couldn't are being tended to where they are, but it'll take some time before we can do anything more for them. The remaining sixty-six are unaccounted for. We don't know if they're alive, trapped, or…"

Gaster huffed. "I understand." He turned towards the rest of the group. "Can I get everybody's attention please? I understand that many of you might be scared, but I can assure you, the worst of it is over! However, there is no time to rest! Anybody that's got injuries worse than just a few scrapes and bruises, report at once to the emergency medical center! You'll be looked after by the doctors working there when they are available. As for the rest of you, I want search and rescue operations underway immediately! You all know Earl - he's second in command below Tobias - he'll be leading the efforts."

Gaster turned to Earl. "Split everybody that is able up into two groups. Send one to the lower levels, and the second to the higher levels. Make sure to exercise extreme caution! Don't stop until we find everybody!" _Or...at least what's left of them._ He didn't allow the extra thought to escape through his mouth.

Earl began organizing the groups and assigning them individual leaders. The scientist shook his head. He imagined the families of other monsters that may have been affected, and was desperately hoping that Tobias didn't have any children that would miss him. Suddenly, another thought tugged at him.

"_Sans and Papyrus!"_ He had to return immediately, but at the same time, he couldn't just abandon the site. He saw Earl distracted, talking to some other workers. The scientist turned on his heel, hoping to quietly slip away.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Gaster glanced over his shoulder. He cursed internally. Thinking quickly, he turned around and yelled. "I must return home! There are several experiments I need to halt, or they could cause further damage to small portions of New Home! I will return later to aid in the operations!" Earl nodded, and returned to work, seemingly content with the excuse. Gaster walked away, an agitated urgency in every step. As soon as he was out of sight, he broke out into a run, desperate to reach his home.

* * *

Sans flicked a rock across the small area of the floor, hearing it scuttle across for a few seconds before going silent. He was lying on his back in a small enclave that had formed when the roof collapsed above. He couldn't sit up straight - the bed was too low down for that. Nor could he stretch out his legs - even for his short stature, the bubble of space was too short, and his legs were awkwardly bent to the side. The past half hour had seen him jostling himself, trying to work his way into a more comfortable posture, but this was the best position he had found. He had stopped moving around too much when he heard the wood above him creak, in fear of causing something to collapse and cramping him even more.

His eyes had adjusted as much as they could to the dark, but it was still impossible to make out anything - no light was passing through the debris. Even if he could see, there wouldn't be much to look at - broken planks of wood, crushed masonry, the occasional ripped apart book that would've fallen from the bookcase. It was a pile of rubble that may as well be a mile high. He took a breath, cut short by a rough series of coughs as he inhaled more dust. With every passing minute, it felt harder and harder to breathe. He heard Papyrus's voice from across the destroyed room, muffled from the debris separating them.

"S-Sans...are we...a-are we going t-to die?"

Sans shook his head, trying to think of what to say. "...No...no we're not. I'm sure G's going to be looking for us."

Papyrus whimpered. "B-But it's b-b-been so long!...A-And he's…n-not here! W-What if something happened t-t-to him?"

Sans closed his eyes as he pondered the prospect. "_If the doc was hurt...then...he can't be looking for us. But if he's not looking for us...who is? Nobody knows we're here...maybe we are going to die."_

Papyrus noticed Sans' silence. "We're...W-We're not going t-to make it are we…"

Sans spoke up so Papyrus could hear him. "Don't say that."

Papyrus's voice grew quieter, and Sans could just barely hear him. "I...I'm s-scared."

Sans gritted his teeth. "Hey. Trust me. I'm sure he's fine. He's gotta get back from the Core remember? He could be coming inside right now for all we know." He wasn't sure if he believed in the words he spoke, but he was not ready to give up yet.

Papyrus continued to whimper, but Sans said nothing more. He rubbed his knee with his hand, and laid still. All he could do now is wait, and hope that Gaster would find them before death did.

* * *

Toriel grunted, pushing another chunk of rubble aside. Asriel continued to cling to her as she worked at clearing a path from under the table. The prince began coughing as more dust was kicked up, and Toriel glanced down to him.

"Do not worry Asriel, just another minute."

Asriel met Toriel's gaze. "Is Daddy ok?"

Toriel paused. "I...I am sure he is fine."

Asriel whimpered. "You don't sound like you mean it…"

Toriel looked down, pausing her work for a moment to embrace her son. "...We need to have faith though that he is alright."

Asriel fell silent. Toriel returned to work, and blinked when light shone through a gap in the rubble. A few more shoves later, she cleared the final bits of debris, clearing a path to the more open air. Toriel began to crawl out, and Asriel followed close behind. Toriel sighed when she stood up, looking around at the demolished home.

"Asgore?!" An eerie silence greeted her call. She picked her way through the rubble, out of the dining room. She cupped her hands to her mouth, trying again. "Gorey, where are you?!" As the silence grew, Asriel began whimpering again, already imagining the worst. Toriel turned around and crouched to his level, holding him close.

"Shh, do not cry my son...do not cry...we will find him." Then, both their ears perked up as a voice responded to the earlier call.

"Tori?! Hang on, I'm coming!"

Her eyes shot to the stairs as she heard footsteps frantically running up. Asgore appeared moments later, and the king nearly collapsed in relief when he saw both of them.

Asriel immediately ran to Asgore and hugged him, squeezing him tightly as he wept. Asgore picked him up and held him close.

"It's ok my son...it's ok...you're safe now…" He quickly looked them both over. "Are either of you hurt?!"

Toriel nodded. "Y..Yes Gorey...we are both fine…" Asgore approached her and let their foreheads touch. Toriel then broke down herself.

"I-I thought you...you were…"

Asgore cut in. "Don't start...we're all fine, that's all that matters."

The family looked around the trashed home, and Asriel was the first to speak. "W...What do we do now?"

Asgore rubbed his son's head, not sure what to do himself. Toriel answered him.

"I...I suppose we should start tidying up."

Asgore nodded. "I need to go and look after other matters in the kingdom. Doctor Gaster should have been performing his inspection at the construction site. I assume he'll still be there, no doubt the site was damaged. They'll need help with search and rescue efforts. I'll head over there immediately."

As Asgore began to walk away, Toriel called after him. "Gorey, _please_ be careful! It will still be dangerous!"

Asgore glanced over his shoulder. "I will! I promise!"

* * *

Gaster gave another tired grunt as more wood clattered aside. The scientist continued burrowing deeper into what was left of his home. He had lost track of time for how long he had been digging for, although he was pretty sure it had been hours. It felt like hours, at least. He picked up another plank, and heaved it to the side, the fear for his children keeping him going.

His efforts were growing weaker, as hope faded more and more from his soul. He strained as he pressed on, swearing he could hear their voices calling to him. He had been hearing them ever since he left the site, but he had been trying to shove them down where they couldn't be heard. Then he quickly shook his head and listened again. No, he wasn't hallucinating this time - muffled shouts could be heard from beneath the mountain of rubble.

Immediately he frantically doubled his efforts, now more determined than ever to free them from the wreckage.

"Sans?! Papyrus?!" Gaster shouted as a bone came into view. He pushed aside the final rocks, and uncovered Sans's head. The skeleton coughed as he was finally freed, pulling himself out of the opened gap. Gaster crouched in front of him.

"Are you alright?"

Sans brushed him off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Check on Paps, over there somewhere."

Gaster looked over, to where Sans pointed, and then got back to digging. It didn't take him much longer to uncover Papyrus's crushed bed buried beneath the debris. He managed to push more of the rocks and wood aside, and peered underneath what was left of the bed. Papyrus stared back at him, trying to hold onto the floor, whimpering. Gaster motioned with his hand, trying to coax him out from under the bed.

"Hey...you don't need to be scared, it's all over now." Papyrus shook his head, staying put. Sans spoke up from across the room.

"He had his foot crushed beneath the bookcase when it fell over."

Gaster nodded. "Ahh. I see. Papyrus, could you please come out? I can't help you unless you do."

Papyrus was still shaking to the bone as he slowly began to crawl out from beneath the bed, dragging his crushed foot behind him. Once he was out, Gaster tenderly took the foot in his hand, and looked it over. He called to Sans.

"Sans, run and find me something I can use as a bandage. A cloth or something. There's bound to be something around here!"

Sans nodded and stood up, running out of the room. Gaster continued to calm Papyrus down until Sans returned, holding what looked like a battered kit. Gaster instantly recognized the case, and he accepted it.

"Perfect." He quickly took the case, but found it impossible to open. The mangled hinge had jammed, locking it closed. Gaster angrily threw it towards the ground, and was pleasantly surprised when it popped open. The impact had jolted the case open. Inside were small emergency supplies. While it wasn't exactly a specialized medical kit, it would do for now. He took out a small roll of gauze, tenderly wrapping it around Papyrus's foot.

"There we are. It will have to do for now. I'll patch it up better when I'm able to. You'll need to stay off of it for a few weeks, but it should be fully healed in a couple months. I'll make both of you temporary beds outside until I get that hole patched up. Does that sound fine?"

Both the skeleton brothers nodded, and Papyrus looked down at his bandaged foot. Gaster strained his hearing as he heard a voice calling.

"Gaster?! Gaster are you here?!" Footsteps could be heard on the floor above, and then Asgore's face appeared looking over the hole. Gaster held up a hand.

"Watch your step your highness! I'm not sure how stable that floor is!"

Asgore looked down in shock. "Oh my...is everyone alright down there?!"

Gaster glanced to the two before looking back up. "Papyrus had an accident with his foot, but apart from that we're all fine! Stay up there, I'll come up to you!" Asgore's face vanished and Gaster lifted up Papyrus. Sans followed him as they picked their way through the debris in the hallway. Gaster found it slightly difficult to maintain his balance as he climbed over the wood that once was the floor from above.

They headed up the spiral staircase to the top. The bookshelf that usually blocked the secret entrance had been destroyed in the tremor. Asgore glanced to Papyrus's bandaged foot as they maneuvered around the hole in the floor. Seeing Asgore's look, Sans spoke.

"Hey G, I can help Paps."

Gaster gave an exhausted nod and let Papyrus down. Sans took one of his brothers arms over his shoulders, helping him keep his foot off as they hobbled to what was left of kitchen where more stable ground awaited. Gaster sighed heavily as Asgore looked back to him. The scientist spoke first.

"The prince and the queen?"

Asgore nodded. "Shaken, but not injured thank goodness. The only physical damage was done to the house, but that can all be repaired. I've just come from helping out at the Core. It looked worse than I first imagined. I assume you know this already though?"

Gaster closed his eyes. "I haven't had the chance to see the full extent of the damage myself. But, I can tell you that it'll set us back at least another six months to get everything rebuilt, or repaired. Just about every single worker on site has injuries. There's at least four dozen who are...critical. On top of that, we've got sixty-six workers unaccounted for. They're probably laying dead or dying under the rubble somewhere."

Asgore sighed. "I'll make sure that search and rescue attempts continue through tonight and tomorrow. No doubt there are similar cases of trapped monsters all over the Underground. What about you? How are you doing?"

Gaster rubbed the back of his head. "Just a touch sore, but I'm fine."

Asgore shook his head. "No, I meant how are _you_ doing. Mentally. One of the workers told me about Tobias."

Gaster grunted. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not get into it."

Asgore gave him a sympathetic look. "Dings, you've already got so much on your plate. Do yourself a favor and share this one with me, alright? It's not good to bottle it up."

Gaster snapped. "I said I don't want to talk about it!"

Asgore was silent, but then nodded. "Very well. I need to begin helping the people of New Home...is there anything that you need before I go?"

Gaster thought for only a brief moment before responding. "Yes. I want to be put on one of the search and rescue teams. I don't care where it is, just so long as it isn't here."

Asgore thought for a moment. "I will be planning a team going to the Snowdin Village to assist there, perhaps you would like to join them?"

Gaster took the opportunity. "Yes, I would. Thank you, your majesty."

Asgore gave his friend a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Don't overwork yourself, alright? Make sure to get some rest later on."

Gaster sighed. "I will. I will."

Truthfully, Gaster was already exhausted after the day - he had overexerted himself digging out his children. But, he knew he wouldn't be able to find sleep tonight. He needed to feel like he was doing something to help. He did promise to return to the Core, but he couldn't keep that promise. He knew that he be sick if he had to return to the site.

The king was not aware of Gaster's internal turmoil, and simply turned away, nodding at Sans as they passed each other, before the king departed through where the door used to be. Sans walked into the room and looked at Gaster.

"Hey G...you...you alright?"

Gaster looked down to Sans. "I will be, thank you Sans." He gazed around at the rubble. "I'll bring some blankets, you two might want to clear some of the debris aside in the backyard to make space." Gaster walked walked to one of the few rooms still standing, leading to a storage closet. He got two spare blankets out and picked his way through the debris to the backyard. Sans and Papyrus followed him. While the grass wasn't as comfortable as the beds, it would have to do. Gaster nodded at the two.

"I'm leaving to go help with the aftermath. I want you two to stay in the backyard, and _do not_ go into the house. It's not safe. I'll see you two later."

Without waiting to see if they understood, Gaster left them alone, walking back through where the front door once stood, turning west towards Snowdin.


	13. Guilt

The gravel slowly gave way to dirt and grass pathways as Gaster entered the marshlands of Waterfall, passing through the tiny mountain range separating the two regions. He looked up from his feet as he heard voices further up ahead. A group of monsters had gathered, many of them carrying equipment. Gaster counted fourteen of them. One of the monsters, a blue and grey furred wolf met eyes with Gaster as he approached.

"Doctor Gaster I presume? His majesty King Asgore told us you would be joining us here."

The scientist cleared his throat. "Yes, yes that's me. You must be the search and rescue team en route to Snowdin?"

The monster held out his hand, and Gaster accepted it. "That'd be us. My name's Conrad Domingo. Let's get moving again, there's people waiting on us."

At his word, the team set off, and Gaster walked alongside Conrad with his hands folded behind his back. He couldn't help but glance to the sides of the path. Much of the debris in Waterfall came from rocks that had split from the roof of the Underground, crashing down to the floor below. They were constantly having to make detours around the boulders, sometimes even climbing over them in order to keep on a straight line to the village. Eventually, Conrad spoke again to Gaster.

"You're the monster in charge of the Core's construction, right?"

Gaster didn't meet his gaze. "I designed it and have been overseeing its safety elements, yes."

Conrad glanced over. "I see. You don't think that it was something to do with that construction, was it? I mean, it's such a huge machine, maybe it-"

"It has nothing to do with the tremor Mr. Domingo." Gaster cut him off. "The Core was not close to being fully functional yet. Even if it was, the chances of it causing an earthquake on such a scale as this are exactly 159 to one."

Conrad shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just wanting to know what might have caused this. You of all people would know."

Gaster wanted to drop the subject. "I will not be able to give a precise reason until I conduct further research into the event, though I think we can agree that _why_ it happened should be the last of our priorities right now."

Conrad nodded. "Of course, of course." There was silence for a few more seconds, before the wolf spoke again.

"But, if you're in charge of the Core, shouldn't you be back in Hotland helping out there?"

Gaster gritted his teeth. "My people are more than capable of conducting their own operations. I've placed the site in the care of good, reliable hands. Could we please focus on the task directly ahead?"

Seeing Gaster getting aggravated, Conrad backed down, raising his hands defensively but remaining silent. The remainder of the nearly seven hour journey progressed efficiently, if taciturn, though occasionally there was small conversation between other monsters of the team. Gaster was still stunned by the scope of the destruction. It looked as though somebody had grabbed the whole mountain and tossed it up and down a few times before setting it back down.

Finally Gaster's feet began to sink into slush, and then packed snow as the temperature began to chill. The Snowdin village wasn't far away, only another fifteen minutes through the trees. Conrad spoke over his shoulder to the team.

"Alright, you all know the drill! Help anybody that we know is trapped immediately, and then focus on searching for other missing monsters! You don't enter _any_ buildings, or what's left of them, without a partner at your side! Also remember that we're not here to heal the wounded, we're here to help those that are trapped! Use your medical supplies sparingly, only if it's to save a life!"

A few minutes later, the team entered the village. Gaster froze, his mouth agape as he took in the destruction. It looked like nearly the entire village had been destroyed. More boulders had damaged, or completely crushed some of the buildings. Many of the citizens bore injuries, and he could see several monsters sobbing as they dug through rubble to find their loved ones, or accepted the realization that they were gone. Conrad nudged Gaster's shoulder, seeing his hesitation.

"Hey. It's not a pretty site, but it's something we gotta live with. Come on, we've got work to do."

Gaster nodded, numbly walking into the ruins of the village. A few of the monsters looked up pitifully to meet his gaze, most of them stained with blood, or dust and dirt. Gaster's gaze soon fell to another monster, a monster made up of pure fire. The monster was sitting on his knees in front of a mountain of debris, with two boulders sitting in the middle of it all.

The scientist recognized the monster immediately. His name was Grillby Firestone. He had met the elemental during the war, when Grillby was one of the foot soldiers. From the short conversations they had on the surface, Gaster knew that Grillby's family owned a tavern on the surface. After they were sealed below, Grillby had moved here to start fresh, and open a restaurant to honor the small legacy his parents held in their quiet town. Now, he was in front of that same restaurant. Or rather, what was left of it.

The scientist approached him, and knelt down putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling the warmth that came off of the elemental. "Hey...you alright?"

Grillby looked up, and appeared surprised. "Wing? Your face! Did the tremor do that? What happened to you?"

Gaster shook his head. "A long story, for another time. Are you hanging in there?"

Grillby looked numbly at the rubble. "Y...Yeah. Ah guess. Ah worked so hard to build this place...and it's...it's just...gone!"

Gaster patted his shoulder. "Hey, the good thing is that you're alright. I know how much this place meant to you, but you'll be able to rebuild it. Listen, I need to go help the other townsfolk, are you going to be fine here?"

Grillby nodded. "Yeah...yeah I'll be alright. It was good to see you."

Gaster stood up, and then carried on. It took him only moments before he saw a monster struggling to lift chunks of rubble up, having little success. Gaster sprinted over, and spotted a wailing child pinned beneath two thick wooden beams. He grunted and let his hand glow a soft blue as he struggled to lift both the beams up. But they were too heavy even for him. He quickly looked around, and spotted Conrad.

"Conrad! I need some help over here!" Conrad perked up, and made his way over to the skeleton, understanding the problem as soon as he saw the child. He coaxed the mother aside. "Stay back please ma'am." He then looked to Gaster, whos hand was already glowing again.

"On three. Ready? One, two, _three!_" Conrad heaved up on the two beams, providing the assistance Gaster needed to lift them up enough to allow the child to pry himself free. Conrad grunted as he dropped the beams, the child running to his mother. She spoke frantically.

"T-There's a-another one! H-He went down t-t-to the c-cellar before t-the tremor, w-we haven't seen h-him since!"

Gaster looked to Conrad, before stepping carefully through the debris. In the small house it didn't take him long to spot the stairwell leading down to the cellar. There was chunks of foundation blocking the way. Gaster once more used his magic to pry some of the pieces of debris loose, gently moving them aside until there was a gap just big enough for them to fit down. Gaster glanced to Conrad.

"After you." Conrad rolled his eyes and slid feet-first through the small gap. Gaster followed him down, grunting as his white lab coat caught on a portion of rubble. Shaking his head, he slid the coat off, freeing himself but leaving the coat behind as he moved to the floor below.

Conrad called out softly. "Hello? Is there anyone down here?"

A terrified whimper greeted the call. Gaster nudged Conrad, pointing to a corner where he had heard the sound. Conrad followed his gaze, quickly spotting the second child in a corner, cowering fearfully. Conrad smiled warmly, kneeling down.

"Hey little guy! What's your name?"

The monster spoke out timidly. "T-Thomas…"

"Thomas?" Conrad nodded. "That's a nice name. My name's Conrad, and this is Doctor Gaster. We're here to help you return to your mommy. Can you come out please?"

Tommy shook his head. "N-No! T-T-The h-h-house might f-fall d-d-down a-again!"

Conrad sighed. "Thomas, you don't need to be afraid. The tremor is long over. The house is not going to fall down on you. I promise. Your mommy is really worried about you, can you come with me?" Thomas slowly crept forward. Gaster was amazed to see that the child didn't bare any visible injuries. They let Thomas back to the gap. Conrad climbed through the gap first back up to the ground floor. Gaster picked Thomas up and held him up, allowing Conrad to take him.

Gaster then took Conrad's free hand, grunting as the wolf helped him climb out, retrieving his lab coat as he came up. He dusted himself off just in time to see Thomas run, eyes bawling to his mother. Gaster couldn't help but smile, though the smile faded as he wondered both where the father was, and why the mother wasn't more concerned about him.

His thoughts were broken when Conrad nudged him again. "I know it's a nice sight, but they're not the only ones that need help. Come on!"

Gaster nodded. "Right." He stepped from the ruined house, following Conrad as they continued their work.

* * *

"I can't hold on!" Gaster shouted, staring down into Tobias's eyes. The magma bubbled below as dirt rained from the roof of the cave onto Gaster's head. Tobias gave a terrified cry.

"Don't let me go! Please! _Please!_"

Gaster shouted out in frustration. "I can't! We'll _both_ die if I'll stay here!"

Tobias gave him one last look of betrayal, trying to law at his arm as if he could pull himself up. Gaster looked away, unable to meet his gaze. His voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry…" He wrenched his arm free from Tobias just as the boulder overhead broke loose. He rolled back and out of the way. Tobias's terrified scream was cut short as the boulder slammed into the cliffside. The cliff face fell away, and Gaster watched as the debris collapsed into the magma pools. He inched back and leaned against the rock face, sliding down into a sitting position.

He put his head on his knees, trying to comprehend what he had just done, whispering over and over.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…" A familiar voice sent chills through his spine.

"You should be…" He looked up as a hand reached over the edge of the cliff. He scrambled up to his feet, watching in horror as Tobias crawled up from the cliff, standing before him. THe foreman's head tilted to one side. The monster was horribly burned, with drops of magma coming from his fingertips, and leaving magma footprints behind him as he walked closer. Gaster stammered.

"N-N-No...i-i-impossible!"

Tobias gave an eerie, hollow chuckle. "Why didn't you do more 'Dings'?" The foreman spat the word. "Why didn't you save me?"

Gaster took a step backwards, trying to back away from the monster. "I tried! I-I tried to pull you up, but I c-couldn't!"

The monster chuckled. "But you didn't try...what of your magic? Why didn't you use that?"

Gaster shook his head. "I-I wasn't thinking straight! Please, you need to understand! _There was nothing I could do!_"

Tobias cackled as Gaster tripped over his feet, falling onto his back. "We both know that is not the truth. You pathetic fool...your creation has become my grave..._and so it shall become yours!_" The monster lunged for Gaster. Gaster gave a terrified scream and shielded his eyes.

He bolted upright on the folded blanket, his chest heaving, sweat dripping down his forehead. He looked around at what was left of his home. He then pressed his knees to his chest, laid his forehead on them, and began to weep.


	14. The One From Above

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

**I'm currently looking for another person that would be willing to aid me in a growing project including future and the current story. The objective is to have fun brainstorming, theorizing, and checking chapters before they go up. If you happen to be interested, feel free to send me a message. Enjoy the chapter!**

**-Nolan J. Rempel**

* * *

Gaster sat down at the kitchen table with a fresh cup of coffee, pointing at the CORE blueprints as Sans observed.

"So you see, the water turns into steam and expands from the heat." He continued to explain. "This large turbine right here is powered by the steam, allowing it to spin and generate electricity. Now, obviously steam only lasts so long in its state, so to keep from having to constantly bring in more water, we have a cooling system that allows the steam to turn back into water, and the cycle repeats itself."

Sans nodded as he stared at the blueprints in fascination. "How much steam does the CORE use?"

Gaster chuckled. "Even less than what is created. With the bit that it does use though, I believe it will give enough electricity to power the entire Underground!"

Sans now looked puzzled. "Well, what happens to the steam that isn't used? And where does the water come from?"

Gaster turned the page to a different part of the blueprints. "The excess steam is ejected from the CORE through means of several exhaust vents. We could try to cool the excess and reuse it too, but there's too high a risk of pressure buildup which could cause catastrophic failures. As for where the water comes from, it comes from the marshlands in Waterfall."

Sans looked to Gaster. "Will I get to go there?"

The scientist sighed. "One day, yes." Several years had passed since the great tremor that had devastated the Underground. The survivors had more or less recovered from the disaster, and moved on. However, there were dozens upon hundreds of families that had been torn apart as a result. More than 150 monsters died during the tremor, many of them forced to endure a slow painful death, being trapped under fallen debris.

Gaster was still haunted by the day, the memory of Tobias's death still burned crisp and clear into his mind. His mental health had deteriorated significantly as a result. He had been forcing himself to stay strong for the CORE, and for his children.

Sans had taken a fascination into the workings of the CORE, and Gaster had been more than happy to teach him how it worked. Despite them being nearly 12 years old, he was still very hesitant on letting them outside. He wasn't quite sure how he had managed to keep them a secret for so long, but he knew very well that he would have to reveal them soon. If he didn't, they would sneak out themselves. The thought terrified him. He could tell that both of them were once more getting restless of staying confined to the house and the backyard.

A rapid knocking at the door broke him from his thoughts. He motioned for Sans to stay out of sight as he stood from the table, walking to the door. He opened it slowly, then wider as he saw Asgore standing on the front porch.

"Your highness! I wasn't expecting to see you here today." He took in the king's weary and bewildered expression. "Is...everything alright?"

Asgore shook his head. "No. I need…" He took a moment, catching his breath. He looked like he had run from the palace to Snowdin and back again "I need you to come to the palace at once. It is of the utmost urgency."

Gaster blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Understood, I shall come at once. Give me one moment please."

He returned inside, and spoke to Sans. "I'm afraid we will need to continue this lesson another time, my presence is required elsewhere."

Sans gave him a disappointed look and Gaster sighed. "I promise we'll finish this later today. Remember the rules, don't answer the door, don't even speak through the door, stay out of sight. I'll be back later."

With Sans's silent nod, Gaster returned to Asgore, and the two of them departed, heading down towards New Home. Gaster tried to learn more about why he was being personally summoned.

"Has something happened at the CORE?"

Asgore shook his head. "Not that I am aware of. No, this is something much more important. I would rather not say until we arrive in case prying ears are nearby."

Gaster nodded slowly. "Very well…" As they moved through New Home, Gaster took the occasional glance to the new structures that had been built up. Many homes had to be rebuilt from the ground up, it was an effort that took nearly two years. Everybody had come through to help each other out, especially those that could not help themselves.

The CORE's work crew had doubled their efforts once repairs had been completed, and the structure was in its final stages. 12 years of hard bitter work had finally paid off. The ceremony of the grand launch was scheduled for three weeks later. Gaster had never been more excited, and tired. He walked up the steps to Asgore's personal home, nodding in thanks as the king invited him in. Toriel was pacing in the front foyer, and Gaster nodded again.

"Your majesty, a pleasure to see you again."

Toriel seemed uncharacteristically distracted. Gaster asked again. "Might I inquire as to why I am here?"

Asgore looked to Toriel, who nodded rapidly. "Of course Doctor Gaster, please follow me." She led him down the hall, and opened the door to Asriel's room. Gaster stepped in, following the queen with Asgore walking in behind him. Asriel was sitting in a chair next to the bed, and as Gaster's eyes moved to the bed, his jaw nearly hit the floor as he realized exactly why he was here. There, in the bed, lay a human child. A bandage covered her forehead, and she was deep in sleep.

"W...W-What...h-how…" He sputtered, unable to formulate his thoughts into words. Asgore put a hand on his shoulder. "Could you take a look at her and just make sure she will be alright? We will explain everything after."

Gaster slowly approached, and Asriel gave him a worried look. Gaster was surprised with how much he had grown in the years since he had last seen him. He slowly lifted the bandage from her head, revealing a gash on her forehead. However, the bleeding had stopped thanks to the bandage. Apart from this, he couldn't see any injuries on her.

"It looks like she had a fall, but she looks like she'll be fine."

Toriel motioned for Gaster to follow them, as they left the room and moved to the living room. Only then did Toriel speak.

"This is a relief to hear Doctor."

Gaster nodded absently. He was befuddled, to say the least. "How? How did she

get here?"

Asgore looked to Toriel. "She...she fell. Into the Underground. Asriel found her. We had been out exploring the ancient ruins. Asriel ran on ahead and, well, just found her. She apparently fell through a large gap in the mountain from the surface. Unfortunately, the barrier stretches around the whole mountain, so that is not an exit for us, I checked myself. That's not what matters though. We brought her to our small private home, by the Ruins. Toriel healed her as best as she could, and we found a bandage for the wound on her forehead, and today we brought her back home. I came and got you immediately after."

Gaster shook his head in disbelief. "Incredible...if I ask your highness, and I apologize if this comes across as rude, but how could you bring her right into our home?!"

Asgore looked taken aback. "I beg your pardon?"

Gaster clarified. "She's a human, your highness, _a human_! Do you not remember what they did to us?!"

Asgore narrowed his eyes. "Come on Dings, she's just a child! Surely you don't believe that a simple child could pose a reasonable threat, do you?"

Gaster gritted his teeth, trying to think of a rebuttal. There was none. Asgore continued to speak.

"I understand your mistrust for humans. I know they took Amelia away from you. Remember, they killed my parents too. They killed so many monsters, completely wiped out some species...but simply hating them, and holding a grudge for them won't bring them back. Maybe, we need to be open to change our mindset about them."

Gaster took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "...Very well. I won't exactly hate her...but I'm not saying I trust her either. What are you planning on doing with her anyway?"

Toriel sighed. "We were greatly considering taking care of her ourselves! She could make a good playmate for Asriel, he has told us many times he has trouble making friends. I believe she could make a good one. If we ever get out of here, their friendship could also help soften relations on the surface as well!"

Gaster immediately saw a flaw in their logic. "But, what if she wants to go home? You can't exactly keep her here against her will, that's kidnapping. If humans found out we kidnapped their children, I doubt that would help us when, or _if_, we ever get back to the surface. But at the same time, we're unable to let her go home as well. Remember, my research showed that even a human, despite being able to enter the barrier, is not enough alone to pass through it to exit. She would need another soul of a monster, specifically one of yours."

The trio looked at each other, realizing he had a point. Asgore tried to work a way around it. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Your Soulbirth experiments! Wouldn't you be able to create an artificial monster soul that she can use?"

Gaster shrugged helplessly. "I highly doubt it. The process of creating even a normal monster soul was extremely challenging as it was, and it took months of research and experimentation. To create a soul powerful enough for a human to absorb would be...well, nearly impossible. But, let's say that hypothetically I do manage to create a soul, and she returns to the surface. What do you think she would do? If she told the other humans that monsters are still alive and well, I am almost certain that humans would send their armies back through the barrier to wipe us out. Unlike last time though, we don't have an escape plan. It'd be a complete genocide of our kind. I'm sorry your majesties, but she can not be allowed to leave. It poses too much of a risk!"

Asgore took a deep breath, looking to Toriel. "I...I suppose we will have to hope she is open for a change in her living conditions, seeing as she doesn't have much of a choice."

Gaster folder his hands behind his back. "She will most definitely have a concussion if she fell from the height you say she has. I would advise keeping a close eye on her for the first couple of weeks just to make sure. If...it's all the same to you King Asgore, I request that we delay the CORE's launch. I'm not sure how I feel about showing such a machine to an outside who we don't know will be friendly or not."

Asgore nodded. "I understand, we can delay the launch by a month or two if that is you wish. The Underground has waited over a decade for this, they can handle another few weeks."

Gaster nodded gratefully. "Thank you your majesty. I apologize but I must make my leave. If there was anything else?"

Toriel shook her head. "No, no Doctor, you are free to go. We appreciate you for making the time."

Gaster straightened his back. "Of course. King Asgore, Lady Toriel, good day." He turned on his heel and walked out of the house. As he traveled back through New Home, his mind began to spin with the new information.

"_A human? Here? Now?!"_ He groaned inwardly at the rather inconvenient timing of the child's arrival. He still had so many questions that were unanswered, questions that he didn't ask, for he knew the royalty wouldn't have the answers.

"_Why is she here in the first place?"_ Was the largest. It was reasonable to assume that humans wouldn't want to go close to the mountain, considering everything that had happened just three decades prior. He knew that there must be a reason for her arrival. He got a distinctly uneasy feeling when he got near her.

He shook his head rapidly, scaring the thoughts away. Perhaps it was just his imagination. After all, she was just a child. Children are curious, as he knew all too well. Perhaps she simply strayed too close to where she shouldn't have.

He grunted as the thoughts raced through his mind. Though beneath it all, he couldn't help but feel there was something more to her, though what that may be, he had no idea. As he opened the door, he sighed as he closed it, leaning back against it. Rest. Perhaps that was all he needed. It had been so long since he had had an easy sleep, perhaps an early bedtime would help.

But, even as he walked upstairs towards his room, he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling nagging at his gut.


	15. The Visitors

"Sans?!" Papyrus called out again, growing more and more irritated with his brother. "Sans, where are you?!" He wandered downstairs, turning down the hall in the underground lab towards the bedroom. When he opened the door, he found Sans laying back in bed. His hands were folded under his head, as the skeleton stared up at several pieces of paper hovering above him. "There you are! Where have you been?! I've been calling all over for you!" Sans didn't shift his gaze, only mumbling in response. "Hey, chill out bro, no need to get rattled about it." Papyrus was about to respond, then something clicked in his mind and he asked. "Was...was that a pun?" Sans chuckled, the smile widening on his face. "Yep, pretty good huh?" Papyrus muttered under his breath. "It's stupid is what it was." He then spoke normally as he approached his brother. "What is it that 'cha' are looking at?" Sans kept his gaze focused on the papers. "Just a buncha old notes of G's he gave me. It's pretty interesting. You wanna have a look?" Papyrus was now curious. "Sure!" Sans used his magic to levitate one of the papers over to Papyrus. After rolling his eyes at his brothers laziness, he took the paper and looked it over. Sans glanced over, spotting instantly how hopelessly confused Papyrus was when it came to Gaster's science notes. Despite Gaster's persistent efforts to help Papyrus, the young skeleton had never managed to fully grasp any of his complex concepts. He then put the paper down beside Sans. "You want to do something?" Sans responded nonchalantly. "I am doing something." Papyrus sighed. "No, I mean something fun! Something that doesn't involve these treacherous numeral. Like hide and seek or something!"

Sans laid his head back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he answered. "Okay, sure. But I'm gonna grab a snack first."

Papyrus blinked. "You just had breakfast an hour ago."

Sans slid out of bed, cracking his back as he stretched. "What can I say? All this effort makes me hungry."

Papyrus groaned inwardly, the papers fluttering down to rest on the bed. The pair walked upstairs, and Sans made an immediate beeline for the kitchen. Before he could get anything though, they were both distracted by a soft knock from the front door.

Both of them fell still and silent, looking to each other. Gaster had told them not to open the door, especially if he wasn't home. At the moment, the scientist was gone at another of his weekly inspections. Sans though, had a different idea of what he wanted to do. As he started towards the door, Papyrus spoke, but quietly.

"Sans? What are you doing?"

Sans glanced over his shoulder. "What does it look like? I'm going to answer the door."

Papyrus hissed nervously as he followed him. "But Doctor Gaster told us not to!"

Sans shrugged. "So?"

Papyrus was shocked that his brother was even considering this. "S-So...m-maybe we shouldn't! Remember that one t-time with the tree? Y-You promised you would listen to him after that!"

Sans seemed amused. "Oh calm down. You wanted to do something interesting right? Well I'd call this interesting. B'sides, I don't know about you but I'm a little tired of doing everything he says. We've got to have _some_ excitement once in a while, right?"

Papyrus could only give a nervous whimper, unable to think of a rebuttal. Sans stole a brief glance through the curtains at the front door.

"It's just a couple kids. Come on, if you think they're more dangerous than that tree, then you've got something up with you." Before Papyrus could do anything more, Sans opened the door wide open.

Outside was a monster that looked to be an anthropomorphic goat, wearing a green and yellow striped shirt. A girl stood beside him, though Sans couldn't figure out what kind of monster she was. Her type looked familiar, but he wasn't able to place a finger on it. The goat looked surprised to see them.

"Uh...hi!"

"'Sup?" Was Sans's casual response. The three stared at each other for another moment before the goat spoke again.

"Uh...this is the house of Doctor Gaster, right?"

Sans nodded. "yepper, this is the place."

The goat tilted his head curiously. "Huh, that's weird. I thought he didn't have kids!"

Sans shrugged. "Welp, I guess he does. So uhhh, what's your name?" Now both the goat and the girl looked confused. The girl spoke up.

"You're joking, right?"

Before Sans could respond, Asriel glanced to her. "It's alright Chara." He then looked to Sans. "Do you really not know who I am?"

Sans chuckled. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking what your name was."

The goat answered. "I'm Asriel. Prince Asriel Dreemurr?"

"Huh." Sans shrugged. "So you're the prince." He had heard Gaster mention a prince, but he hadn't ever seen him, until now at least. Asriel tried to move past the awkward introduction.

"Is Doctor Gaster home right now?"

Sans shook his head. "Nah, he's out doing an inspection at the CORE. You can come in though, if you want."

Asriel smiled. "Cool, thanks uh...I never got your name." He asked, as Sans led the pair inside, he replied.

"I'm Sans. That's my brother, Papyrus." He pointed a thumb to Papyrus who was standing a little ways off, still looking nervous. Chara looked curiously at Papyrus. Asriel nodded.

"Good to meet you Sans, Papyrus." Papyrus nodded in response. Sans looked over to Chara.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, Chara was it? What kind of a monster are you? You look familiar."

Chara seemed slightly hesitant to answer. "Oh uh, I'm not exactly…"

Asriel finished her thought. "She's not a monster. She's a human!"

Sans nodded slowly, and gradually moved himself between her and Papyrus. "Uh huh." He had never seen a human in person, only in old pictures from when he snuck into Gaster's study some time ago. He didn't know much about humans, Gaster had never been too willing to discuss the past. From what he pieced together though, he concluded that humans were less than kind to monsters.

"So...if you're a human...why're you down here and uh, with the prince?"

Chara didn't react when Sans placed himself between her and his brother. "I fell. In the ruins at the edge of the Underground."

Sans tilted his head. "Ruins…?"

Asriel frowned. "Yeah! Have you never heard of them?"

Sans shook his head. "Nope, not me."

Papyrus spoke up timidly. "W-What are they the ruins of?"

Asriel shrugged. "I don't know actually. I don't think anybody does. Some people think it was the old monuments from who knows how long ago."

There was another small awkward silence. Sans was trying to think of something to say, but luckily for him, Chara found something for him.

"Hey Azzy, didn't you say you wanted to show me something else yet? We might want to head out so we can get back in time for dinner."

"Hmm?" Asriel sounded confused as Chara looked to him, then he seemed to snap. "Oh! Right. That. Yeah, we should probably get going. We can see Doctor Gaster later. Hey it was nice to meet you two!"

Sans waved as the two walked to the door. "Yeah, same. Seeyah around." Sans closed the door behind them, turning the lock. Papyrus sputtered as Sans locked the door.

"I-I-I can't b-believe you actually did that! Oooooh deery doodly, Gaster's going to be so mad at us!"

Sans sighed. "Hey, it wasn't so bad was it? Look, he'll never know. The door's locked just like when he left. If we don't tell him, he won't know! If he does find out. I'll take the blame for it since it was my idea."

Papyrus turned around, still fidgeting uneasily. "I hope you're right…" Sans chuckled, nudging his brother as he left for the basement once more.

* * *

Gaster's heavy sigh echoed around the study. The lamp flickered again over the CORE's blueprints in front of him. He rubbed his forehead with two fingers, struggling to keep his eyes open. With the near completion of the CORE, he was being forced to spend more and more of his time at the construction site, leaving him less and less time to relax at home.

Even when he was around, he still found it hard to put his mind at ease. It had been nearly a month since the human child had fallen into the Underground. She seemed nice enough, and from the little bit of what Gaster understood, she got along well with Asriel. Still, he didn't trust her. He found it hard to trust most things nowadays.

His gaze shifted over to the picture of him and Amelia sitting on the desk. It was one of the only physical memories of his wife that remained. The massive quake years ago had destroyed just about everything else. He found himself mumbling quietly. Whether it was to himself, or to her, even he couldn't tell.

"I've just about done it...I'm so close…" His eyes began to flitter shut, then they shot open as the sound of knocking at the door echoed through the house. He stood up and walked down the stairs. He straightened his lab coat and opened the door, nodding at the visitor.

"Your highness."

Asgore seemed somewhat solemn. "Doctor Gaster. Do you mind if I come in? We have something we need to discuss."

Despite being exhausted, the scientist couldn't find the energy to argue. He stood aside.

"Of course, come in Asgore."

Asgore stepped in, noticing Gaster uncharacteristically using his given name. "Long day?"

Gaster nodded, closing the door. "One could say that. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Asgore, seeing how tired he was, put an arm around his friends shoulders, guiding him to the kitchen, pulling a chair out for him before he sat down across from him.

"You shouldn't be overworking yourself like this."

Gaster groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Please, not tonight."

Asgore nodded, then replied. "Well, I don't want to take too much of your evening, so I'll just get to the point. It's about the children."

This grabbed Gaster's attention. He looked up at Asgore. "What of them?"

The king sighed. "Earlier today, Asriel and Chara, the human child you saw a few weeks ago, came by looking for you. Asriel was giving Chara a tour and wanted to introduce her to you. Properly at least. You weren't home when they knocked, but from what I understood, Sans answered the door."

Gaster nearly hit his head on the table, but managed to compose himself. "...I see. What have they done about it?"

Asgore replied. "Nothing, yet thank goodness. They came back and told me, understandably confused. I told them about how they were your children, Sans's condition, everything they needed to know."

The scientist was stunned. "How could you do that?! I thought we had a deal!"

Asgore shrugged helplessly. "What was I supposed to do? You should know by now, when a child wants to know something they won't stop until they get an answer. If I didn't tell them, they would go around the whole Underground asking random people about it, and before you know it everyone would be knocking at either your or my door, wanting an explanation!"

Gaster opened his mouth, then closed it when no words came out. Asgore gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Don't you think it's time they get to see the world anyway? They've been cooped up here for their entire lives. They don't know anything outside these walls. I think we can agree that they've been trapped long enough."

Gaster shook his head stubbornly. "They're not ready yet."

Asgore thought for a moment for a solution, then found one. "If I'm being honest, none of us are ever truly ready for the world or what it has to offer. But, sometimes we need to be willing to open ourselves up. If we keep ourselves closed forever, we won't ever be able to handle life."

A small smile broke onto Gaster's face. "I see some of your father's wisdom wasn't wasted on you…"

Asgore chuckled. "I'll tell you what. Tomorrow I'll come by with Toriel, Asriel, and Chara. We can pick you, Sans, and Papyrus up, and we'll just spend the day together. Make it a family day! No big fuss about your children being brought into the open, and it allows for you to take some stress off your shoulders."

Gaster was hesitant. "But, what about my work? There's much that needs to be done still-"

Asgoe cut him off. "Take a day off Dings, you've more than earned it. I'm not taking no for an answer."

Gaster nodded. "I see. Then, it shall be done. I will see you tomorrow." The two stood up, and the skeleton saw the king out, waving him farewell. As he began to walk back to the stairs, he paused by the living room, the bookcase still open. He could hear the laughter of the two children from downstairs, and a smile spread across his face, his eyes watering. He slowly ascended the stairs, returning to his study. He slowly sank down into his chair, leaning back over the plans. Within ten minutes, the sound of gentle snoring had filled the room.


	16. Family Day

Gaster took a deep breath, taking one more glance in the mirror before he turned to leave his room. He walked downstairs to where Sans and Papyrus were eagerly waiting, eyes wide. Gaster maintained his stern look.

"Before we leave, I want to go over some ground rules. I want you two to stay by my side throughout the whole trip. I don't care how excited you two get. If I say to do something, you do it. Finally, if I tell you _not_ to do something…" Gaster's gaze moved to Sans, his eyes narrowing. "...don't do it."

Sans mumbled sheepishly. "You got it…" Gaster huffed, folding his arms. A knock broke the silence that followed, and the scientist left to answer it. As the door swung open, he was greeted with Asgore and Toriel, with Asriel and Chara peering from behind them. Gaster nodded formally.

"Your majesties."

Asgore immediately rolled his eyes. "Dings, this day is supposed to be for our enjoyment. Let's drop the formalities this once, hmm?"

Gaser sighed. "Very well Asgore."

Asgore chuckled. "Well don't act so downcast about it. Are the children ready to go?"

He nodded. "Indeed they are." As if on cue, the pair appeared behind Gaster, following him out onto the patio. Gaster then met eyes with Chara, and gave a nod to her.

"I do not believe we have had the pleasure of a proper meeting."

Asriel motioned to Gaster. "This is Doctor Gaster. He's who we were going to see yesterday."

Chara smiled and shook his hand. "Good to meet you."

While the children began to talk amongst themselves, Toriel gave Gaster an empathetic look.

"Are you getting the rest you need?"

Gaster closed his eyes briefly. "Not as much as I would have hoped, but enough that my performance has remained optimal. If I may ask, where will be going to first?"

Toriel smiled. "We were considering simply exploring New Home for the day."

Gaster straightened his coat. "Well. Shall we set off then?"

Asgore nodded. "Let's." The group began to set off towards the heart of New Home. As they walked, Gaster began to notice more and more curious glances flitting their way, especially to Sans and Papyrus. Gaster tugged on the collar of his coat, trying not to feel uneasy at all the extra attention. Asgore nudged Gaster's shoulder, speaking quietly.

"Don't look so tense. Ease up, enjoy yourself! Surely you would have expected a few curious glances when you eventually let them outside, hmm?"

Gaster grunted. "I suppose so. That doesn't make it any more enjoyable though."

Asgore chuckled. "If you ask me, you should follow the examples of your children. They don't seem to notice it."

Gaster didn't say anything in response, though he did make sure to keep at least one eye glued to the children. Their journey took them into one of the busiest sections of New Home, the market. It didn't take long for Papyrus to find something of interest. He tugged on Gaster's coat, pointing to one of the shops.

"Hey, what's in there?" Gaster looked over, immediately understanding Papyrus's interest. The sign above the door contained an elegant emblem, one that Gaster knew very well.

"Shall we go inside and have a look?" Asgore gave Gaster an approving nod as Papyrus bounced up and down excitedly, beginning to pull him towards the shop. Gaster held the door open, letting the small group in. Here he let Papyrus roam around. The skeleton's mouth dropped open with awe.

"Whoa! There's so much stuff in here!"

Gaster couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction. All over the store were several old antiques and trinkets, as well as other objects discovered from the Underground. The shop belonged to Gerson Chordilla, a well-known archeological monster. Gerson appeared from a back room and blinked in pleasant surprise as he leaned over the counter, calling out to Gaster.

"Well, lookie who it is! Haven't seen you around in a long time. Your majesties." He tipped his hat towards Asgore and Toriel, who both gave nods of acknowledgement.

Gaster sighed. "I'm afraid my work keeps me rather busy these days."

The turtle gave a hearty chuckle. "I see that's not the only thing. I didn't think there were that many skeletons left! Are they yours?"

Gaster followed his gaze to the two skeletons. "There aren't, and they are."

Gerson was now curious. "I didn't know you had any! Never seen 'em around that's for sure."

Gaster didn't meet his gaze. "It's...a bit of a long story."

Gerson noticed Asgore's glance, and gave a slow nod. "...I see." Asriel approached with Chara. As the three began to chatter, Gaster moved off to see what Papyrus was suddenly so interested in. An orange cape hanging on a stand. He looked it over.

"What's this thing for? It's not like a blanket I've ever seen…"

Gerson noticed and spoke up enthusiastically. He hobbled over. "Ah! That, son, is my old 'captain's cape!' A bit ripped up now, but still slick as ever."

Papyrus glanced over his shoulder. "Captain's cape? Captain of what?"

Gerson beamed proudly. "Why, I was once the captain of the Royal Guard! Oh the memories…"

Papyrus clearly liked the sound of the name. "WOWY! ...What's that?"

Gerson blinked once, then broke into an amused cackle. "I was one of the top military commanders during the war of course! My main job though, above all else, was to defend the monarchy with my very life if need be!"

Gaster helped to elaborate. "It's a job that requires much vigilance and responsibility. You need to be willing to do anything to ensure success, even lay down your life if necessary. Very few monsters ever manage to become accepted into the Royal Guard, and there have only been a small handful of monsters to be captains of it. Mr. Chordilla was the last captain before the Guard was disbanded. Unfortunately being trapped underground, we don't have much need for one."

Papyrus nodded understandingly. "Well, what do you do now?"

Gerson replied. "I'm an archaeologist!"

Papyrus was, as Gaster, hopelessly confused. Seeing his confusion, Gerson waved his hand around. "I'm an explorer. I go to very old places, and explore! I often stay at a site for days maybe weeks at a time. Some areas have fascinating symbols, or ancient texts that I can decyfer. Any trinkets I find, I bring them back here and sell them! Many of the objects in this shop are from my adventures! Others are just belongings I have no use for."

Papyrus stared dreamily at the cape. "It looks so cool!"

Gerson reached up, lifting it off the hook. "Why don't you take it? Seeming as you have such an interest for it. I think it suits you! Consider it a present!"

Gaster was surprised by the sudden gift. "No, we couldn't possibly! It resembles so much of your history, your proudest days of the kingdom!"

Gerson lowered his voice solemnly. "It also resembles many of my worst. Trust me old friend, I would be more than happy to be rid of it."

Seeing Papyrus so excited over the present, Gaster couldn't help but accept the offer. Papyrus squealed gleefully, throwing it on. The cape was somewhat big, and it dragged on the ground behind him. Gaster looked to the monarchy, only to be met with amused looks. Asgore then spoke.

"We best be setting off. It was good to see you again old friend!" Gerson gave a wave of farewell.

"Likewise yer majesty!"

As they left the shop, Sans suddenly spoke up. "Hey G! The CORE isn't too far from here, right?"

Gaster glanced down. "Well, I wouldn't necessarily say it's close. About an hours walk or so."

Sans looked hopeful. "Can we go explore there?"

Gaster looked to Asgore who gave an indifferent shrug. "Well, we can't go inside, but we can certainly go and look at it."

With this they changed direction, beginning to make their way out of New Home, heading towards the construction site. As they walked, Asgore couldn't help but notice Gaster look a bit brighter as they moved to the CORE. It was his prized creation after all.

As they neared, the sounds of construction filled the air, and soon the massive machine came into view. The children stopped short.

"WOWIE! It's...it's huge!" Papyrus exclaimed breathlessly.

Gaster chuckled. "It certainly is."

Sans gazed at it, and Gaster noticed an eagerness in his gaze as he spoke. "A bit bigger than the blueprints."

Gaster folded his hands behind his back. "Perhaps when you're a little older, or when it's fully complete."

He gave Sans's shoulder a pat, glancing to the king and queen. "We best be returning, I'm sure our company have other matters they need to do before the day is up."

With that, the party retreated back towards Snowdin.

When they returned, Gaster bade the royal party a quick farewell before leading Sans and Papyrus inside. Papyrus gave the new cape a tug to keep it from getting caught in the door.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves?" The scientist queried. Papyrus still looked mystified. "I'm still surprised by how much bigger it was than I imagined!"

Gaster smirked. "I hope you will one day be able to see the surface. There is land farther than the eye can see, and the sunset over the landscape is absolutely phenomenal! Even what you saw today is a small portion of the Underground."

Sans looked up. "Can we go explore the rest?"

Gaster nodded. "One day, one day. But, that day is not today. Now why don't you two run along? I have some more work to do." The two of them nodded. Papyrus immediately ran downstairs, while Sans walked to the living room, immediately flopping down on the couch, falling asleep almost instantly. With a happy expression still on his face. Well, an even happier expression than Sans' usual locked grin. Gaster shook his head, and headed back upstairs to continue his work.

* * *

Darkness. It was everywhere. It gripped him, pulled him. He walked forward, the echo of his footsteps sounding hollow in the void. As the scientist looked around, he could hear whispers. Whispers growing incessantly louder. It was impossible to tell who the whispers belonged to. Eventually a pattern began to repeat, forming coherent words.

"Save us."

"Free us."

He called out into the darkness. "Who are you?! What do you want me to do?!"

The voices replied. "Save the past. Save the present. Save the future."

He called out again. "I...I don't understand! Save the past?! Save the future?! But, the past can't be saved! It's history! A-And the future...well the future hasn't been written!"

Again the whispers returned, seeming to bore into his very soul. "The future is already set, but the past can change. The past..._will..._change. You must save it. You must save us."

Gaster cried out. "I-I can't! What you speak of it's...it's impossible!"

The voices grew sharp like knives. "If you can not do this, then you have done nothing. You will be a failure. Your name will become lost to time. Nothing will remain."

Gaster shook his head as the barrage continued, the insults bombarding his soul. "No...t-that's not possible…"

Suddenly, a vast explosion rocked the void, knocking him down to a surface that did not exist. He shielded his eyes as images flew past him. An immense explosion. Pale creatures out of a nightmare. A fading scream, and a frightening beast, with pain in its eyes. Then, war. Booms and cracks echoing through the room, all the while a face flickering in and out of his vision, an eerie smile spread on the figure's face.

He sat bolt upright in his bed, gasping for air. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead as he stared at his hands, noticing a tremble. He put a hand to his head, shaking it rapidly.

"What...What was…" He calmed his racing heart. "_That was no dream...that was...something...more…" _He laid back, closing his eyes. In doing so, he failed to see that the once concealed journal lay open on his desk.

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**Hey everyone! So I've been working on a really large project recently regarding the fanfics that I've been writing, and I think I'm ready to fully reveal it. In the next couple of days, I will be releasing a new story that will be updated along with this one, and I will explain in further detail what this project is then. Until next time!**


	17. Critical Failure

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**I managed to figure out how to more or less put a URL into one of these without having it disappear. The link to the Undertale: Chronicle wiki is right below this note, just replace the words within parentheses with their corresponding keys. I do apologize if it looks messy, it was the only way I was able to make it work. Hope you enjoy! [Again, the wiki is far from complete.]**

undertale (dash) chroniclex , fandomx .com (forward slash) wiki (forward slash) Undertale:_Chronicle_Wiki

**Remove the x from chronicle and fandom, as well as replace the coma between them with a dot.**

* * *

The murmurs of the crowd drifted through the air as Gaster ascended the steps towards the royal family's special viewing platform, Sans and Papyrus in tow. The guard standing at the door nodded as he approached.

"Doctor Gaster. His majesty has been expecting your arrival." The guard swung the door open, allowing Gaster inside. As Gaster entered, Asgore looked to him with a wide grin on his face. Toriel and their children accompanied him.

"Ah, the monster of the hour! You should be proud of this day my friend."

Gaster gazed out the window at the CORE, now completed, laying poised ahead of them. "I've been awaiting this day for twelve years your highness."

Asgore chuckled heartily, clapping his friend's shoulder. "I must admit that at the start of all this, I had my doubts. But, seeing it fully completed? I must say your dedication to the project has been unlike anything I have ever seen!"

Gaster sighed. "Now, we just need to pray that it works. If it does, it shall revolutionize the very foundation of how we live."

Asgore chuckled. "I am confident that the CORE will be launched without a hitch. You designed it after all."

The scientist glanced over at the children already interacting with each other, then up to Toriel as she approached. "I can't thank you enough for being willing to take care of the children.

Toriel waved her hand. "Nonsense! It is the least we could do after everything you have done for us. With this being your big day, I highly doubt you want someone as curious as Sans running around wanting to try everything out." She giggled as Gaster replied.

"He certainly is an interesting character."

Asgore nudged him. "You best be going, you don't want to miss the launch yourself, do you?"

Gaster snapped and straightened his lab coat. "Right! Yes, of course. I bid you farewell King Asgore, Lady Toriel." He gave a small bow to each of them before turning around and leaving the viewing platform. Dozens of heads in the crowd turned to watch him as he walked towards the CORE, entering through the main entrance right at the front of the CORE. Two guards stood by the entrance, ensuring that no unwanted visitors would follow.

It had been just over a week since Sans and Papyrus had been first out to see New Home, and ever since Gaster had been working nearly non-stop. This day, if it went right, would mark the launch of the CORE, a day long overdue. He had never felt so nervous in his life, though he made sure to keep the feeling hidden. He turned down yet another short hall, then used his master key to unlock the door, stepping into the control room. The five technicians sitting at their assigned desks stood up as he entered and turned to face him. Gaster cleared his throat, then addressed them.

"I don't think I need to stress the importance of today. It's a day we've all worked very hard towards, through several setbacks. Still, I applaud each one of you for sticking with the project and pushing through. But, we're not out of the woods yet. Today, in exactly…" He glanced at his watch "...Eight minutes and forty-two seconds, we will start up the CORE, and provide, hopefully, power to the entire Underground. We all have a job to do, so let's make sure we do it right. Gentlemen, assume your seats."

The five technicians sat down, and Gaster clasped his arms behind his back, a grim look on his face. As excited as he was, he knew he had to maintain his professional composure. He glanced once more at his watch, watching as the hands continued to slowly tick around the small surface. Then, 0 hour. He nodded at one of the technicians.

"Begin the start-up sequence." He glanced around as the machine slowly whirred to life around him, a smile tugging at his lips. The other technicians set about their work. The seconds slowly ticked into a minute, and the minutes began to swing by as well. The process was indeed a long one, but one that had to be necessary. There was a lot the machine had to do, and they needed to give it time to do it.

As the minutes struck twenty though, he was feeling more confident, and so he gave the order. "Begin feeding the water into the machine."

With this, another switch was flipped. The water came from the marshlands of Waterfall, and had to be hand-carried all the way back through Hotland to the CORE. This process alone took several months, as nearly a third of the water evaporated before it reached the CORE due to not just the heat, but the distance it had to be hauled. Gaster's complex system though would allow the water to be cooled off from steam back into water, so they would never have to bring in more outside water.

There was a sudden banging on the door, and Gaster glanced over his shoulder to spot one of the workmen outside. He turned around and opened the door, letting the annoyance seep into his voice.

"I am a little preoccupied at the moment as you can see, so this better be good."

The worker looked worried. "Apologies Doctor, we think we have an issue that you need to see at once."

Gaster glanced over his shoulder, gritting his teeth. He barked at the technicians. "Initiate the next phase and keep everything stable until I return!"

He then followed the worker out as he guided him down through the hallways. "Would you be able to elaborate on our apparent situation?"

The worker rubbed the back of his head. "We believe there may be a fault in one of the exhaust vents."

Gaser shook his head firmly. "Impossible. I oversaw their design and placement myself."

The worker persisted as he led him to a lower level in the CORE. "I understand that sir, but that is where the problem seems to originate! I know you weren't around at the CORE much after the tremor several years ago, perhaps it happened then?"

Gaster scratched his chin. "It is an option, but one that doesn't hold much water, ironically." Gaster paused a moment. "_I've been speaking with Sans too often."_ He internally groaned to himself. "I will need to see the vent to know more."

The exhaust vents were a safety precaution he added in. He knew that the steam would cool back off into Water, but there would still be excess laying around. To keep the excess steam from causing damage he had designed the creation of about two dozen exhaust vents to eject the excess steam harmlessly into the air of Hotland where it would dissipate entirely. As they moved down yet another level, he could hear something metal groan, and what sounded like something shaking. The worker stood aside and pointed to a small open door, another monster stood close by.

"It's just through there." Gaster pushed the door open wider, stepping through. He entered a small maintenance shaft for the ventilation system in the area. He looked around, searching for the source of the unnerving sound. Crouching down, he moved in the tight space, drawing closer to the rattling until at last, he found it. A pipe in the ventilation was trembling violently. Gaster didn't dare put his hands on the pipe, knowing it would give him serious burns.

He quickly spied the source as well. A large dent in the bottom of the pipe. Thoughts flashed through his mind. "_That dent is causing the pipe to protrude into itself, disrupting the steam flow. Pressure's building up, and at this rate…"_ His eyes shot wide open. He quickly backed out of the space, and barked at the workers standing nearby.

"Get _everyone_ in the area clear and out of the CORE!"

The worker was startled. "Sir?"

Gaster shouted again. "_Just do it_"

He then turned and sprinted back up the layer of stairs, making a beeline for the control room. He barged in and immediately ran over to one of the technicians.

"Shut it down! Shut it all down!"

The technician stuttered. "W-We can't Doctor! T-T-The cycle is too far in, the CORE's automated systems have t-taken over!"

Gaster nearly slammed his head into the desk in frustration. "Ergh, alright. Clear out! All of you, get out now!" He grabbed one of the technicians as he stood from his station.

"Get the guards outside to move the civilians as far back as possible, we need to get them to a safe distance." The technician nodded and left. Gaster stayed back, sitting down at the station. He immediately got to work trying sequence after sequence of the manual controls, trying to turn the CORE off. The CORE rumbled at a small explosion went off downstairs, the result of the pressure buildup. He slammed his fist down on the panel, knowing there was nothing he could do.

A vicious chain reaction began as smaller explosions continued to go off elsewhere. Gaster stood up and tried to make his escape. An even louder explosion rocked the floor beneath him, and he had to grip one of the walls to keep himself from falling down. Still, he pushed forward.

Then, another small pipe bust next to Ghaster, sending burning hot steam into the scientist's face. He screamed as he stumbled backward, clutching his face in pain. Another tremendous explosion threw him to the ground, his head striking the railing as he fell, leaving him in darkness.

* * *

He blinked his eyes open, finding himself staring face-down at the floor. Something was shaking him. He glanced up to see one of the guards from outside trying to shake him awake. The guard chuckled as he saw him.

"Ah, and so he returns to the waking world! Don't worry Doctor, you're not going to die here today!" He slid his arm underneath Gaster's shoulder, helping him to stand. The skeleton groaned, clutching at his still searing hot face as he hobbled with the guard out of the CORE. Outside he could see civilians scrambling away from the CORE, screams of terror filling the air. He managed to steal a glance over his shoulder and groaned in dismay. A large section of the CORE on the left side had been destroyed and was engulfed in flames.

He didn't have time to think about it as the guard helped him further away from the burning machine. Glancing up, he spotted Asgore and the rest of the royal family, along with his children close by. Asgore rushed forward, patting the guard on the shoulder. "Thank you son, I can handle it from here."

The guard nodded. "Of course your majesty." Asgore helped guide him further away to a small maintenance building close by, easing him down to let him sit against the wall. Toriel knelt down by him and immediately began to work her magic, and soon the burning sensation in Gaster's face was all but gone. He shook his head numbly.

"It's...It's gone...over a decade of work...all that time...and it's just…"

Asgore and Toriel were unable to find words to console him. They knew as well as Gaster did that the damage was extensive. Papyrus suddenly snapped out of his shock and let out a wail, throwing his arms around Gaster. Gaster grunted in surprise, but his soul almost seemed to melt with emotion. His breath was shaky.

"There there Papyrus...no need to cry, I'm right here…"

Papyrus sniffled. "I-I thought y-y-you were…" Gaster shook his head, rubbing a hand along Papyrus's spine.

"Don't think about it. It's going to be fine."

He sighed as he leaned his head back, shaking it slowly as he took in all that had happened. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. "_How could I not have noticed that?!"_ The thought repeated itself incessantly in his mind. Asgore glanced to the machine, then back to Gaster.

"We should continue moving, we're still not entirely safe here."

The scientist nodded and grunted as he stood up. Toriel reached out a hand in case he fell.

"Are you sure you are well enough to walk Doctor Gaster?"

Gaster nodded at the queen. "I am, thank you your majesty." After casting one more bitter look at the destroyed CORE, Gaster followed the royal family away to a safer place.


	18. Assistance Required

Gaster glared at wreckage of the CORE, his arms folded across his chest. The day after the failed launch resulting in the explosion, he had returned to assess the damage. The fire had been extinguished, but it wasn't looking good for his project. The pressure build-up in the exhaust vent had caused a devastating chain reaction. It all came together in a massive explosion, leaving one portion of the CORE nearly levelled. From what he had been told by Asgore yesterday, eleven workers were unaccounted for. They were most likely dead.

He heard footsteps on the walkway behind him, and glanced over his shoulder as he spied Asgore approaching. He looked back to the carnage as the king stood beside him. There was silence between the two, before Asgore spoke.

"How long are you thinking repairs would take?"

Gaster shook his head. "It's hard to tell. Seven months? Could be up to nine." Asgore nodded solemnly, and this time it was Gaster to break the silence.

"I...suppose you are here to shut down the project?"

Asore took a deep breath. "No. I have decided to give you one more chance to make this work. I was briefed on what caused this, it sounds like it was just a freak accident."

Gaster grunted. "An accident that could have been prevented. I should have known this would happen."

Asgore's voice was stern. "You're not a god Gaster! It was such a small flaw I would have been surprised if you had caught it! Besides, you have had a lot more on your plate than most other monsters, it's understandable why you'd miss such a small flaw, one that was not of your making!"

The scientist said nothing. As Asgore glanced over, he noticed Gaster's tired eyes. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?" He was greeted with silence. He continued. "You can't keep doing this Dings, it's going to kill you one of these days."

Gaster grunted under his breath. "When you've seen things I've seen…" Asgore's ear twitched. "What was that?"

Gaster shook his head. "Nothing."

Asgore didn't pursue it. "If you want my opinion, you _should_ get an intern. Someone reliable that can help you out with some of your smaller, or larger projects so you're not always overworking yourself!"

Gaster glared over to him. "I don't...need...help."

Asgore met his gaze. "Look me in the eye and tell me you haven't at least considered it."

Gaster's hands balled up, but then relaxed again as he gave in. "Alright...yes I've given the idea some thought. The problem I have is finding someone on the same level of intelligence as myself."

Asgore broke into a smile. "I thought you might say something like that. Last night I went ahead and collected a few resumes of various smart monsters around the Underground, all who wanted to be your intern. I have them back at my home if you wish to come take a look."

Gaster glanced back at the CORE, then sighed. "Very well your highness." Chuckling, Asgore turned away, beginning to lead the way back to his home.

* * *

Toriel's warm smile greeted Gaster as he followed Asgore into the home.

As always, she had a very sympathetic look for the scientist.

"Doctor Gaster, apologies again for the rather unfortunate incident."

Gaster nodded. "Thank you, your majesty, but if it is all the same to you, I would rather not discuss it."

Toriel nodded. "Of course, of course." Asgore took Gaster to the kitchen, allowing him to sit down at the table. He then left the room, returning just moments later with a small stack of papers. He set them down in front of Gaster, sitting across from him. Gaster immediately got to work, reading through the large resumes.

The list Asgore pulled together, while small, was somewhat impressive. Many of the monsters had gone to some form of university back on the surface. But still, he wasn't satisfied with any one of them. Many of them didn't follow his work, and those that did struck him as a person that might end up trying to tell him what to do. He was near the bottom of the list when he spotted one name in particular that struck him.

"Alphys Almaro?"

Asgore nodded. "Indeed. She's one of the last Draconems alive after the war. From what I understand, she was actually born here in the Underground. Very intelligent though."

Gaster scratched his chin. "I see that."

Asgore could see the gears turning in Gaster's mind. "Do you believe you've made a decision?"

Gaster was still uncertain. "I want to see her in person first. There is much one can learn from a simple conversation."

Asgore stood up. "Very well. Do you wish for me to accompany you?"

Gaster shook his head. "No, I believe I will require this. I do appreciate the offer."

Asgore nodded. "I understand. I wish you good luck then!"

After a brief farewell to Toriel, the scientist set out, glancing once more at the paper. He muttered to himself.

"Waterfall...bit of a distance. If I leave now, I could be back by dusk…" He huffed and began the journey towards the marshlands.

* * *

He took another tired breath as he walked up towards the front door of the lonely house. Despite being placed deep in the marshlands, he was still surprised at how distant the rumbling torrent of the waterfalls the region was so well named for. He knocked twice on the door, then folded his hands behind his back, waiting for a response.

When the door was opened, Gaster was greeted with a draconem wearing a baggy t-shirt and shorts. Gaster cleared his throat.

"Alphys Almaro?"

He draconem looked up for the first time and nearly choked. "D-D-Doctor G-Gaster! I-I…" She was unable to form words. Gaster kept his posture.

"Do you mind if I come in and have a quick conversation with you?"

Alphys stuttered, looking flustered. "I-I...y-yes, I mean n-n-no, of course not! C-Come right in." She said through an extremely strained grin. Gaster followed her inside. He took a seat in an armchair in the living room, watching as she sat down closeby, tapping her fingers together nervously. Gaster looked down to the resume, beginning to speak.

"You've been studying my work I see?"

Alphys nodded. "Y-Yes Doctor."

Gaster continued to gaze at the paper. "Tell me, what system was the CORE designed to utilize?"

Alphys immediately explained. "O-Oh! Well it was designed using what you called a rankine system, a system designed to transfer water into geothermal energy through steam! The system is, or was, a cycle that saw water evaporated into steam, which was then sent through a big combustion cycle to transform it into energy used to power the whole of the Underground and it's an incredible system for creating such a great amount of power especially with it being utilized in tandem with magic and..." She trailed off as she realized she was going into a rambl. Gaster tried not to crack a smile. However, anybody could study his work and give a similar speech.

"Where did you get your education Ms. Almaro? I was informed that you were not born on the surface. Can I assume you collected your knowledge from your parents?"

Alphys rubbed her shoulder. "N...no, actually. I-I was...a-am, self-taught. E-everything I know I h-had to teach myself."

Gaster glanced up. This was somewhat unexpected. He knew he wasn't the only smart monster alive, but very few naturally had a talent for picking up such advanced knowledge.

"I see. I will say, you have a fairly impressive resume. However, few compile such a list without an endgame in mind. So what, if I may ask, is your plan? What do you aspire for later in life?"

Gaster could see the thoughtfulness in her eyes, and it took her a moment to respond. "I...I-I suppose I want to work in a place where I-I can expand my knowledge. I always feel like there's just something more that I can learn."

Gaster nodded, his little interview complete. "Very well, thank you Doctor Alphys, this has been a rather productive meeting."

Alphys looked confused. "What do you mean D-Doctor…?"

Gaster nodded. "Yes. I expect to see you at the site of the CORE tomorrow at exactly 9:30 AM for your first day as my intern. I look forward to working with you." He turned around and left the home, leaving a stunned Alphys behind.

* * *

Thoughts flashed through Gaster's mind and his pen scribbled madly in the journal, struggling to keep up. All he could think of was the dream he had the night before**. **The words continued to drift on an endless loop through his ears.

"The future is already set. But the past will change." The unusual symbols he preferred writing in soon filled not one, but two pages. He discarded the pen, looking through the complex equation. He shook his head, mumbling to himself.

"Nothing...nothing at all…" The equation led nowhere. He couldn't understand it. The dream seemed so outrageous, but he couldn't help but feel like there was something more to it. Interestingly, he could have sworn that the symbols made up some kind of image. Though what it resembled, he couldn't tell.

Gaster rubbed his eye-sockets, groaning. "Maybe I'm just going mad…" Before he had time to start the equation again, his head fell forward and snores filled the room.


	19. Rest For The Weary

Alphys once more adjusted her badge, looking up at the CORE as she neared it, the sounds of construction filling her ears. Repairs were coming along nicely, and she was beginning to feel more at home at the site.

Nearly five months had passed since the devastating explosion, as well as since Gaster had hired her as an intern. She still got giddy at the thought of working with the monster she idolized, and only wished she could stop herself from stuttering so much.

But, now wasn't the time for these thoughts. She stopped by the CORE's entrance, looking around for any sign of Gaster. She waited, growing more anxious as time went on. She had been told to meet the scientist at the base of the CORE that morning, but half an hour came and went with no sign of him. Alphys knew how Gaster might chastise her for waiting around instead of being productive, so she entered the CORE to begin her tasks.

She walked up the central staircase and into the control room, where a technician was fiddling with wires beneath the panels. Upon hearing her footsteps he crawled out from underneath, smiling at her.

"Good morning, Doctor Alphys!" He glanced behind her and gave a puzzled look. "Where's Doctor Gaster?"

Alphys rubbed her arm nervously. "I-I don't k-know. H-H-He d-didn't show up this m-morning, s-so I came up here t-t-to continue o-our work."

The technician shrugged. "Well, he's a very busy man. He's probably tinkering with some other experiment of his at home and just forgot. I'm sure he's fine."

Alphys adjusted her glasses. "Y-Yes. Well, I-I suppose we s-should get back t-t-to work." The technician crawled back under the panels. Their current task was to implement kill switches into all the components of the CORE. This was a system Alphys had put forward to Gaster when they were initially inspecting the damage; this way if there was a freak accident like the one that saw the CORE explode, they would be able to safely shut it down before catastrophe struck.

Gaster had added onto her idea, wanting to install alarm systems linked all over the giant machine, so he wouldn't have to waste precious time going down to see if it warranted a shutdown. Alphys knew she had a knack for engineering, and so she intended on making it a fully automated system later on in the future, which would allow the CORE to fully function and shut itself off with no monster influence whatsoever.

Just before she could get to work though, she heard footsteps approaching the door from outside. She looked up just as Asgore walked into the room, grinning warmly at her.

"Good morning, Doctor! How go the repairs?"

Alphys rubbed her hands together nervously as she replied. "T-The repairs a-a-are right o-on schedule, y-your m-majesty."

Asgore nodded approvingly. "Good, good. Is Doctor Gaster here too? I've been wanting to speak with him."

Alphys gave him an apologetic stare. "I-I'm afraid n-not. H-H-He hasn't a-arrived yet, i-it is most u-unusual behaviour for h-him…"

Asgore shook his head. "He hasn't checked in with me for several weeks now. Though you're right, he usually is here around this time. Perhaps he was held up at home…"

Before he had time to turn around, Gaster appeared in the doorway. Alphys gave a tiny gasp at the sight of him. The scientist did not look well. The lights in his eyes almost seemed to flicker, and anybody would have been able to see his exhaustion. His normally tidy uniform was somewhat unkempt, and he held his arms close to him as if he were trying to keep warm. Alphys hadn't seen Gaster in a couple days, and so she was shocked by the drastic shift in his appearance. Asgore looked just as surprised when he saw him.

"Gaster, you look terrible!" Gaster tried to push past him, mumbling under his breath before coughing, his body shaking. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

But Asgore was having none of it. He reached out an arm and stopped him, feeling his forehead. "You're not fine, you're practically burning up. I am not going to allow you to keep doing this to yourself! You're going to go home right away and let me help you. _And…"_ He cut off Gaster as he opened his mouth to protest. "...that's a direct order. Doctor Alphys, will you be able to manage here for a while?"

Alphys nodded her head, trying to speak reassuringly. "O-Of course y-your majesty, D-D-Doctor G-Gaster, e-everything is under c-control!" This was all Asgore needed to know. He turned Gaster around, helping him out of the CORE. Although he continued to insist that he could walk on his own, by the time the pair reached his house, Gaster had to lean on Asgore for support, his body being constantly racked with coughing fits. Gaster handed Asgore his key, allowing the king to unlock the door. He helped the scientist upstairs to his bedroom, helping him lay down in bed.

"I'll get you some tea." The king went downstairs, by now more than familiar with where the kitchen was. Five minutes later he returned to Gaster's bedside, handing him the mug. Gaster began to drink it gratefully. Asgore sighed.

"Dings...be honest with me. How much sleep have you gotten in the past week?"

Gaster's response was uncharacteristically quiet. "...about eleven hours…"

Asgore groaned inwardly, rubbing his eyes with two fingers, shaking his head. "I...I don't understand. I simply don't! Why do you _insist_ on doing this to yourself? Surely you must know that it's not good for you, your habits are going to kill you at this rate!

Gaster stared straight ahead, refusing to meet his gaze. "I need...I need to keep working...it's the only way to make up for it…"

Asgore sighed. "Make up for what, Dings? You're not making any sense."

Gaster's eyes were blank, and numb. "My crime...when I killed him...I need to make up for it…"

Asgore could already tell that Gaster wasn't thinking clearly, but still he needed to know more. "You killed someone?"

Gaster slowly turned his eyes to him. "Tobias Eaten...in the tremor...I-I had to let him go...it was him or me...i-if I tried to pull him up, we would have both been killed…"

Asgore slowly began to understood. Before all he knew about Tobias's death was that he had fallen into the magma pools below the CORE due to the earthquake. Though now he could see why Gaster had looked so spooked immediately following it.

"You've...kept this buried the whole time? Dings, it was an accident!"

Gaster slowly looked forward, his eyesockets hollow. "You weren't there…"

Asgore looked down at the floor, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I wasn't there. I'll never know what really happened that day. But, I do know that you did everything you could have done. You need to stop focusing so much on the past. What's done is done, you can't change it."

Gaster met his eyes again. "But what if I could?"

Asgore was utterly confused. "I'm not following."

Gaster pointed to his journal. "Page 97…" Asgore glanced to Gaster before opening up the journal, immediately being swamped with the complex math equations taking up whole sheets of paper. Gaster answered his unasked question.

"Time travel...or...a theory at least."

Asgore was utterly amazed, having no idea what half the symbols on the pages meant, though clearly Gaster did.

"How did you do this?"

Gaster was hesitant to answer. "I've...I've been having dreams. But...they don't...feel like dreams. I can't describe what it feels like but I always remember them so vividly...I'm always in a dark place. No light penetrating it. All around I can hear the whispers of the dead. I feel like...like they're trying to warn me of...something. When I woke up from the first one...I had an idea for the equation. I thought I might be going mad but...it's a genuine possibility!"

Asgore set the book aside, folding his hands together. "Dings...it's...I don't know how to tell you...it's just impossible!"

Gaster began to chuckle, but Asgore noticed a tear running down his cheek. "Oh my friend...don't you see? I could bring them back. I could bring them _all_ back. Tobias, Asgrid, Celia, Amelia, _all of them_! We could stop the war from ever happening!"

Asgore was silent for a noticeably long time. "I...I want to undo the war as much as you do. But...you need to stop chasing these ghosts. You need to start focusing on the present! The CORE needs you, here and now. So does Alphys, your children, even I do. But tell you what...why not I take Sans and Papyrus for a few days, let you get some proper rest and get better? You desperately need it."

Gaster slowly laid back, letting his eyes close. "...Very well."

Asgore stood up with a heavy sigh. "Good. Don't worry, Sans and Papyrus will be fine. I'll get Toriel to make some soup, and then I'll bring it by tomorrow. Gaster…" He gave his friend's shoulder a soft pat. "You'll get through this. I know you will." Asgore then left the room, walking downstairs. He saw Sans just coming up from the basement, the skeleton nonchalantly waving hello. Asgore called to him.

"Oh, Sans could you be so kind as to fetch Papyrus for me? We need to have an important discussion."

Sans glanced over. "Hmm? Yeah, sure." He sauntered back downstairs while Asgore sat on the living room couch. Sans reappeared a moment later with Papyrus in tow. The two sat on a seperate couch opposite Asgore.

"Doctor Gaster is...he's not well. He's really sick at the moment. He hasn't been getting enough sleep and it's begun to affect him negatively. We have agreed that the two of you will be coming to the palace with me while he gets better, alright? It should only be for a few days.

Both skeleton children nodded, though Papyrus was immediately concerned. "Is he going to be alright? What if he needs something? Who will help him?"

Asgore chuckled softly. "Do not worry, my child. I will come by every day to make sure he is being taken care of. I just want to give him the opportunity to properly rest. Besides, I'm sure Asriel and Chara would be more than happy to have some extra company around for a little while."

Papyrus seemed to brighten at the mention of the names. He noticed that Papyrus seemed to get along well with Asriel and Chara. They would be a perfect fit for him for the few days they would be away from home.

"Well, we best be off." Asgore grunted as he stood up. As he led Sans and Papyrus from the house, he glanced over his shoulder. "Sleep well old friend, you've earned it." Was the quiet request. He set off with the children back towards the palace.


	20. Recovery

Asgore jiggled with the key, unlocking the door to Gaster's home. He pushed the door open, stepping inside. Tucked under his arm was a bag holding a container of soup, kept hot thanks to some of Toriel's magic. As he walked further into the house, he spotted Gaster sitting by the kitchen table, staring down.

"Dings, if I see you writing anything down in that journal of yours, then so help me…"

Gaster glanced around behind him, giving a tired sigh. "Good day, your majesty." Asgore chuckled, taking out the container of soup, setting it down on the table in front of him. He also set down a spoon, sitting at the table.

"And how was your sleep?"

Gaster blinked as he began to eat the soup. "As well as could be...this is delicious."

Asgore grinned. "She can work wonders. How are you feeling?"

Gaster didn't meet his eyes. "Improving. I suspect I should be able to return to work within a few days."

The king nodded. "Good. You do realize that if you need some time off, you can just ask me, right? We all need a break every now and then. Why, even myself, Toriel, and Asriel go to the Ruins every once and a while for the weekend!"

Gaster shrugged half-heartedly. "I just want to make sure the CORE goes off without...another hitch."

Asgore stared at him. "Dings, I promise you, it will be fine. Just take the time that you need! And stop blaming yourself for things that were out of your control. You couldn't have known the pressure build-up was there, just like you couldn't have known the earthquake was going to hit. You need to let it go."

Gaster thought to himself "_I don't know if I can."_

When he didn't get an answer, Asgore leaned forward.

"Tell you what. How about I give the CORE a visit? I'll make sure Alphys is doing alright and doesn't need any help for a few more days. If there's anything wrong, I'll come and find you. Alright?"

Gaster only nodded. Asgore stood up. "I'll talk to you later then. Eat up, rest up. You'll pull through this."

With a final grin, Asgore left the home, making sure to lock up behind himself. Immediately he turned left, walking towards Hotland. He found himself, as always, breathing a bit heavier as the temperature began to increase around him. He was relieved when he entered the CORE where newly installed fans kept the temperature down. Almost as soon as he entered he caught sight of Alphys, who had noticed him as well. She quickly made her way over to him, nodding politely.

"Y-Y-Your majesty! I-It's a-a pleasure t-t-to s-see you again. How i-is D-Doctor G-Gaster getting a-along?"

Asgore sighed. "He's getting there, though it'll be a few more days before he's fully fit to return to work. How have things been going here? Do you need me to get anything?"

Alphys shook her head. "N-No your majesty, b-but thanks for the o-offer. Everything i-i-is proceeding a-according to p-plan. I-I suspect w-we should b-be able to t-try l-l-launching the C-CORE again by l-late December!"

Asgorer was pleasantly surprised. Last time he had received an exact estimate, Gaster didn't think they'd be ready until they were into the new year. While it was still four months away, he was able to accept having the shortened wait time.

"That's excellent news!"

Alphys still looked uncertain, and Asgore could tell there was something beneath the surface. "Is...something wrong?"

Alphys sighed. "I'm...I'm j-just nervous about h-him your majesty. H-He always seems so s-serious, I-I-I don't w-want to let him d-down."

Asgore nodded understandingly. "Gaster has...had a difficult life. You're likely aware that he lived on the surface like myself and most other monsters Underground. He lost just about everything during the war. I'm worried about him too, but mark my words, I'm making sure to keep an eye on him. Just, give him time. He's working through some very tricky things. He does have a happier side to him, and I'm pretty sure this creation finally being operational will begin to draw it out."

Alphys grinned. "I-I understand y-your majesty. Thank you."

Asgore stood up straighter. "Good day, Doctor Alphys." With this he turned around, walking back down the steps and out of the CORE, beginning to head for home. There was one last person he needed to talk to.

* * *

Papyrus put his chin in his hands, sighing as he gazed at the puzzle pieces still littering the floor around the half completed jigsaw puzzle. Asriel looked up.

"What's wrong, Papyrus? I thought you liked puzzles!"

Papyrus nodded. "I do! But this one is so hard!"

Asriel nudged him. "Well, we just gotta keep working at it then, right? We'll figure it out eventually!" Sans glanced up from his book across the room as they continued to work on the puzzle. Chara sat close by, occasionally glancing over curiously at the book hovering in front of the skeleton's face. As he glanced to his brother again, Chara noted.

"You really like keeping an eye on him huh?"

Sans shrugged. "He's my brother. Why wouldn't I?"

Chara looked down. "It's me, isn't it? The reason why you constantly check on him when I'm around?" Sans looked up from the book now directly at her, the book fluttering down into his lap. He chose his words carefully.

"Well...if I'm being honest...I don't exactly have a big reason to trust you. I heard about the war and what happened up there, you know."

Chara looked down to the floor. "Yeah...I figured that was it."

Sans sighed. "Look buddy, it's not you. Everything's just been kinda surreal these past few months. I haven't been sure what to really think about...anything. You know?"

The human chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Everything kind of feels like a dream sometimes but you know it isn't?"

The skeleton nodded. "Yeah, exactly. It's nothin' personal, trust me. You seem like a pretty chill human. For the first human I've ever met, you're doing a good job at proving the stories wrong."

Chara chuckled. "I'm flattered."

Toriel walked into the room, carrying four plates. Two in her hands, the other two balancing on her arms. On the plates was one slice of pie each. Sans pointed a finger out and the two plates balancing on Toriel's arms lifted up, floating over to the coffee table where she set the other two down, giggling as she nodded.

"Thank you, Sans."

The four sat down around the coffee table as Toriel left the room. Chara's gaze was now one of curiosity.

"How do you do that?"

Sans took a bite from the pie, glancing over nonchalantly. "Do what?"

Chara waved her hand, trying to poorly mimic the motion he made with his hands. "The whole levitating thing."

Asriel looked up. "I was also kind of wondering that! I know different monsters have different types of magic. Is that yours?"

Sans shrugged. "I guess. I've sort of always been able to do it. Well, at least as long as I can remember I've been able to at least."

Chara grinned. "Well it's a really cool trick. I bet it comes in handy when trying to reach for something huh?"

Before Sans could answer, the front door opened, and soon Asgore walked inside. He smiled at the four.

"Good afternoon children. Sans, could I speak with you please? It should only take a moment."

Sans grunted as he stood up. "Yeah, sure." He followed Asgore out of the room to the end of the hall, where Sans asked.

"How's G doing?"

Asgore sighed. "He's improving physically, you should be able to return home in a few days. But I want to talk to you about something a bit more serious. I'm not quite sure how Papyrus would handle it, but I'm confident that you're mature enough to manage."

Sans tipped his head. "What's up?"

Asgore folded his arms, looking troubled. "I'm worried about him. Mentally. He's just not well. You know, on the surface he was constantly happy. Cheerful even. He was constantly looking for something he could do to improve another's life. But ever since we were sealed down here...it's different. He's still trying to improve the lives of everyone else, but he's secluded. Isolated even. He hardly ever smiles, that is if you can see him at all. It's as if he's a different person. That bothers me."

Sans leaned against the wall, nodding slowly. "Uh huh...well...what do you want from me?"

He could tell Asgore was seriously pondering his next words. "I want you...to just keep an eye on him. A close one. He's not well, and everybody knows it even if he won't admit it. I just want to make sure he doesn't do something drastic."

Sans nodded. "Yeah. Sure I can do that."

Asgore looked grateful, "Thank you Sans. If you think he might try to pull something...I want you to run and get myself or Toriel immediately. Am I clear?"

Sans nodded again. "Yeah, will do."

Asgore sighed. "Good. You can rejoin the others."

As Sans left Asgore in the hallway to rejoin the others, the king scratched his chin. Everything was growing more clouded, more uncertain with every passing day. He knew from the air that there was something big on the horizon. "_But what?"_ With the thought still lingering in his mind, he also left the hallway, in search of Toriel.


	21. Short Celebrations

Gaster slid his arms through the sleeves of the lab coat, slowly fastening his badge beneath the upper left pocket under his heart. He cracked his neck before gazing straight into the mirror, taking a deep breath. He turned around, walking downstairs. He didn't even stop to say goodbye to Sans and Papyrus before stepping outside, immediately heading for the CORE.

The day had finally come at last. In the months since he had fallen ill, the CORE had been restored to being fully operational. New safety measures had been implemented, but this didn't help to calm his nerves.

The walk seemed to stretch on endlessly. He almost felt as though he were walking towards impending disaster. He wasn't even sure he wanted to launch the CORE after all the disasters it had encountered. Still, there was a job to be done.

As he neared, Asgore spotted him from where he stood close to the entrance. Gaster glanced around. The area that had once been filled with people eagerly waiting for its launch was now empty, save for the skeleton and Capri-Bovarian. Gaster brought himself to a stop facing the king.

"Ready?"

Gaster nodded. "Of course. This way please." Gaster led the way into the CORE. The two of them had agreed that for this attempt, Asgore would watch over Gaster's shoulder, and that the populace would not be invited. There was no telling what would happen. They walked up the central staircase to the second floor, and proceeded straight ahead to the locked room. Gaster slid his key into the lock, pushing the door open. As he stepped into the control room, the technicians and Alphys looked up at him with anticipation.

Gaster clasped his hands behind his back, nodding to the three of them. "Assume your positions." The trio sat down, though nothing started yet. The CORE had been prepared for launch the day before. All the water needed was waiting, with more on standby to extinguish any fires. Every last pipe in the ventilation system had been triple checked to ensure there would not be another failure.

Gaster looked to his watch, waiting as the second hand slowly ticked its way around the clock, dragging the minute hand with it. Silence fell amongst the group. The only audible sound was the tiny ticks Gaster's watch gave off. He continued to wait, hoping Asgore wouldn't be able to pick up just how nervous he was. Then, the time came.

"Initiate phase one."

The first two technicians immediately leaned over their desks, pushing the startup buttons and flicking their corresponding switches. Around them there was a whine as the CORE began to come to life. One by one the systems went through their necessary procedures. As they finished, the lights beneath the buttons clicked off to signal their completion; an idea that Alphys had put in place while Gaster was sick. The final light clicked off, and Gaster spoke out, his voice eerily calm.

"Anything to report?"

The technicians shook their heads, as one of them spoke. "Negative, Doctor. Start-up procedures complete, all systems are green."

Gaster nodded, then counted exactly thirty seconds before speaking again. "Initiate phase two."

Phase two was to let the water into the cycle where it would begin to heat. It was the shortest phase, and would only take a minute. The technician kept his eyes on the single board in front of him.

"Phase two complete."

Now there was no time to waste. "Initiate phase three." Another technicians began to work. Phase three was the beginning of the rankine process. The machine grew louder as it began to heat the water, lowering it towards the deadly magma pools below. Elsewhere, more water was being pumped into the CORE, ensuring it would be fed constant fresh water.

He had to wait for the pressure to slowly build up, and the CORE should automatically feed the steam from the water into the turbine generator. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Another whine signalled the turbine beginning to come to life as steam entered the system. He had lowered the amount of water that would be introduced, hoping to not have to use the ventilation system.

A light began blinking on the panel next to Alphys. With it, an alarm began buzzing. Gaster's head shot right, staring at her as she turned around, leaning over the panel, continuing to speak urgently.

"P-Pressure is b-b-building up D-Doctor! T-There's t-too much s-s-steam for the t-turbines to k-keep up!"

Gaster walked over urgently. "Initiate phase four. _Now_!" Alphys jumped at the sudden bark of his order, but got to work immediately, beginning the process of mechanically opening the ventilation systems. Gaster had placed her in charge of the system. This was because she had proposed several improvements to ensure no failures, and Gaster had allowed her to put them in. He just hoped they would work.

He stared nervously at the flashing button, the alarm still going off even after Alphys had finished working. He glanced over at her.

"Doctor Alphys…"

She shook her head. "J-Just give it a m-moment D-Doctor Gaster…"

The other technicians slowly turned around as the alarm continued to buzz for several more seconds. Then as suddenly as it had come on, the button's light turned off and the alarm ceased. Only then did the skeleton realize he was holding his breath. He let it out in a nervous chuckle, stepping back from the panel. The CORE had been fully launched, and was operational. He shook his head in amazement, beginning to clap his hands together. One by one the others joined him in his applause. Gaster then spoke once the applause had died down.

"I can't thank you enough. You have been here through some of the worst points in this project, but it is because of you that we finally managed to make it a success. You all have my gratitude. Keep up the good work." He then nodded to Asgore, and the two of them left the control room, heading downstairs. As soon as they were outside, Gaster threw his arms around Asgore in joyous laughter.

"Ha ha! I did it! I finally did it! Twelve years of absolute torture, and I finally did it!"

Asgore laughed with him. "It was a struggle, though I feel like you're the reason why this was a success. Most others would have just given up. Listen, if you have the time...I want you to do a favor for me."

Gaster let go of Asgore, allowing him to see a massive grin on his face which Asgore hadn't seen since the surface. Gaster nodded. "What do you need, your majesty?"

Asgore's voice grew serious. "I need you to come to the palace. It's Chara, she's been sick for a couple days now and she's not getting any better. Would you mind just taking a look at her and...seeing if you can do anything?"

Gaster sighed apologetically. "I'm not sure how much help I would be. My specialty is in engineering and the like, not biology, especially the biology of a human. But, since you were kind enough to donate your time coming here, I'll donate mine by going with you."

Asgore nodded. "I appreciate it, my friend." With one last gleeful glance back at the running CORE, Gaster followed Asgore down into New Home.

* * *

Toriel was pacing just inside the door as Asgore and Gaster let themselves in. Upon seeing them, Toriel approached them speaking quietly.

"She still hasn't woken up...Asriel has been refusing to leave her side…"

Gaster sighed. "I'll see what I can do. Where is she?"

Asgore led him down the hall, opening the door to their room. The lights were off, and Asgore held the door open. Asriel was sitting in front of the bed in a chair, whimpering quietly. Upon seeing Gaster, he backed up. Gaster leaned over her, feeling her forehead. He was shocked by just how hot it was. He nearly had to pull his hand away quickly. He then reached down to her neck, nodding in relief when he felt a pulse. He glanced around to Asgore, speaking quietly.

"How long has she been like this?"

Asgore shrugged helplessly. "She started feeling sick just two days ago. I've never seen something get this bad so quickly!"

As Gaster turned back, he caught sight of Asriel, noticing how he didn't want to meet anybody's gaze. Gaster shook his head. As far as he knew, there was no sickness in the world that could turn somebody from being so healthy, to being so crippled in just three days. He stood up, turning to Asgore and stepping out of the room.

"I'm sorry, your highness, I don't have a clue. Like I said, my specialty is in engineering! Not biology. If you ask me, you should bring the best doctor of New Home in here, they might have a better idea."

Toriel nodded. "Thank you Doctor. Sorry to take up your time."

It was Gaster's turn to give Asgore a sympathetic pat. "It is no problem at all. Good day." He then left the house, beginning to walk back home.

* * *

Gaster looked around, the blackness once more surrounded everything. The whispers were still ever present. Another one of these...dreams that weren't dreams. He wasn't sure what to call them. But this one was different. The whispers suddenly disappeared, leaving him in pure silence. It was uncanny just how quiet it was, not even the echo of drafts in a cavern. He somehow felt trapped in this place. He knew that despite the familiar scenario this one...was different.

All of the sudden a voice wailed, sounding like that of a child. A loud bang came elsewhere, followed by two more cries. But they were not cries of pain, they were cries of sadness. Gradually more and more sobs joined in chorus, driving Gaster awake. He didn't jerk away as he normally did. He simply laid back, staring up at the ceiling. He then rapidly kicked the blanket off. Something was definitely wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

He quickly threw on his black coat over his clothes, once again not bothering to check on the children. His footsteps drove him closer and closer to New Home. Looking around he could see dozens of people looking crestfallen, some even weeping. All had newspapers in their hands. Gaster took one of the papers that was on the ground and felt his throat close up, his hands tightening on the paper. He slowly turned around, walking back home.

The door closed behind him in his home as he carried the paper to the kitchen, falling into one of the chairs. He gazed at the paper, wondering how it could be possible. He put his head in his hands and began to sob.

Asriel and Chara were dead.


	22. New Demands

The walk downstairs was heavy-hearted. Nearly a week had passed since the deaths of the royal children. Gaster had shut down the CORE, telling the staff to take the week off. The news had come as a shock to monsters all over the Underground. The day following the tragedy, Asgore had declared war on humanity, blaming them for the loss of the children.. Whether or not it was true, Gaster had not bothered to look into.

What's more, Toriel had mysteriously disappeared without a trace shortly after this. This meant a lot was riding on Asgore's shoulders, though he had passed down responsibilities to one of his most trusted staff members while he recovered. Search expeditions had looked high and low for the queen, but there was no sign of her. Nobody had seen her since her disappearance.

Gaster opened the door to Sans and Papyrus's room. Sans was the only one present. Gaster walked over to him with a heavy sigh.

"How are you holding up, Sans?"

Sans shrugged. "Alright...I guess...I'm a bit more worried about Paps though. He hasn't really spoken since...well, you can guess."

Gaster nodded solemnly. "I will speak to him. Do you know where he is?"

Sans didn't move from his spot, laying on the bed. "Eh, I think he's upstairs somewhere."

Gaster turned around, heading back upstairs. Sure enough, Papyrus was hunched over the kitchen table, drawing a picture. Gaster sat down in the chair beside him, looking over. He noticed Papyrus had the biggest frown on his face that Gaster had ever seen.

"Hey, kiddo. What are you drawing there?"

Papyrus said nothing, only sliding the paper over to Gaster. He picked it up and nearly choked. The picture showed the four children happily standing together. Papyrus sniffled, then threw his arms around Gaster, holding him tight.

"W-Why did C-Chara and Asriel have to d-die?"

Gaster shook his head, embracing him back. "I...do not know."

Papyrus looked up at him. "R-Really? But, you know everything!"

The scientist sighed. "I wish I did. The world is full of many mysteries. Most of them we may never get the answers to. I'm afraid this will be one of those mysteries." A knock at the door snagged his attention, and he managed to pry Papyrus off of him.

"One moment, please." He stood up and opened the door. He blinked in surprise at the arrival of the royal courier. He didn't have a letter for Gaster this time, but rather a vocal message which he delivered at once.

"His majesty King Asgore requests your presence in the palace at once, Doctor Gaster."

Gaster nodded. "I see. I'll leave immediately." He closed the door, walking back to Papyrus who tilted his head.

"Who was that?"

Gaster replied. "Asgore's messenger. I need to go, he needs me at the palace. Will you be fine here for a while?"

Papyrus nodded sadly. Gaster gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good boy. I miss them too, everybody does. Just take your time in working through it." With this, he turned back, but not before grabbing the white lab coat on his way out. He walked down into New Home, putting on his professional face as he straightened his name badge. The city was much quieter than normal, with nearly everyone still in mourning.

Gaster didn't walk up to Asgore's front door, knowing that he would most likely not be there. Instead, he headed into the main portion of the palace, wandering the corridors towards the throne room. He stepped inside into the vast flower bed surrounding the throne. Asgore stood rigid by the windows. Gaster made his presence known.

"You sent for me, your majesty?"

Asgore didn't turned to face him. "Yes. I assume you are aware of the recent...events."

Gaster was all too aware, though he could tell this was not a social visit, so he didn't treat it as such.

"I have. My condolences, your majesty."

Asgore was silent for an unnervingly long time. Finally, Gaster worked up the nerve to speak again.

"Your majesty...what was it you wanted me for?"

Asgore grunted. "The humans, Doctor Gaster. They have taken everything from us. I for one am quite finished with it. I say it is time we begin fighting back."

Gaster shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I am aware of your declaration of war, your majesty. Though, I fail to see how you are to wage it. We are still trapped after all."

Asgore's next words made Gaster stiffen. "Is it possible to create a machine that can make enough soul power to break the barrier?"

Gaster was silent as he pondered the prospect. Admittedly the thought had crossed his mind during their first years underground, though he had never been in a position to properly experiment.

"Well...such a machine had never been created. It could have consequences unforeseen to anybody-"

"Doctor Gaster…" Asgore's cold voice cut him off. "I desire an answer. Is it possible, or isn't it?"

Gaster sighed, looking down. "Theoretically? Yes. It is. But, even if you _were_ able to break the barrier with said machine, how would you fight? We have no army!"

Asgore turned around. "Your Soulbirth project."

Gaster looked up. "Come again?"

Asgore scoffed. "You know what I'm talking about. Soulbirth. The creation of an artificial soul. Remember? I want you to make me an army."

Gaster's jaw moved, but no sound came out for several seconds. "I...I...It's impossible! It took me years of research to make just two monster children that both have glaring flaws! Besides, what would I use for hosts? In case you have forgotten, I had to cut holes in my hands to make the children. What would I do, ask every monster in the Underground to donate some of their flesh and blood?! It would be an impossibility!"

Asgore's low growl silenced Gaster. "Well, if you can not...or will not...create more monsters...then we will enhance what we already have."

Gaster shook his head. "I don't follow."

Asgore rolled his eyes. "If you can create whole monsters, surely you can improve one. Make them stronger. Faster. Tougher to kill, impossible even! Figure something out."

Gaster was in shock. "That...would mean, experimenting on living monsters! Asgore, think about what you are asking me to do! You want me to perform experiments on your _own subjects_ that are still very much alive! If I mess things up, the results could be catastrophic!"

Asgore took a threatening step closer. "I made myself perfectly clear, Doctor. I do not care about the possibilities of what could go wrong. I have enough faith in you to know you wouldn't let such a disaster occur."

All Gaster could think about was all the failures with the CORE as he responded. "Your Highness, my specialty is in engineering. And even with my full brilliance on the subject put into the CORE, it _still_ suffered from drawbacks, failures, it cost hundreds of lives to make! You are asking me to do something that has never even be attempted or conceived of in all of history, despite me not having the proper knowledge to conduct it properly!"

Asgore barked at him. "As long as you work for me, you will do as I command! Now go. If you need me to provide you with any supplies, let me know and it shall be delivered to you at once. Your full attention is to focus on getting me an army, and enough power to shatter that cursed barrier. The humans have destroyed everything we care about, and I'll be _damned_ if I sit back and take it." Gaster gulped nervously at the cold tone, but nodded.

"...Understood. I will begin at once." He quickly turned around, leaving the throne room. On his way out, he spotted the courier and intercepted him.

"I want you to run and send for Doctor Alphys Almaro. Tell her to meet Doctor Gaster in the center of Hotland."

The courier nodded and set off running. Gaster meanwhile took his time in walking back through New Home, dreading what he was about to do.

* * *

The heat beat down relentlessly around Gaster as he stood, waiting in the center of Hotland for Alphys. At last she arrived, not seeming to be bothered by the heat, no doubt used to it from her extensive work on the CORE. She nodded a hello, then looked in awe at what was behind him. Gaster said nothing, only turned around, motioning for her to follow. Behind him was a large white building. It was an old research lab he had constructed when they first got to the Underground. This was the place where Gaster created his many inventions to try and break the barrier, all with no success.

The scientist flicked a lightswitch, the lights overhead flickering on gloomily. He turned around and broke the news to Alphys, telling her every detail of what Asgore desired of them. Like Gaster, she too was skeptical.

"B-But, w-we're not b-b-biologists! W-We don't k-know about how t-t-to increase a monster's s-strength!"

Gaster huffed. "I understand. I even explained this to him, but he wasn't taking it. Like it or not, this is the job he wants us to do, so we're going to do it. This building should provide us with the adequate room. Now, the first step in conducting our experiments of course would be to find out what makes a human soul powerful. To do so, we would need to study a human soul. I'll ask the king if he still has Princess Chara's soul later today. It would be useful to use this rather than wait for another human to fall, who knows how long that will be. For now though, we should begin to get things in order. We'll use the basement level for the experiments."

He stood up, guiding an ever nervous Alphys into an elevator he had designed. It worked off a weight system, though he had intended to make an electrical one in the future. Dust flitted into the air as they entered the bottom floor. The lights were still on even downstairs. He had just one more stop he wanted to make before they set to work.

"I want you to get yourself situated, Doctor Alphys, take a look around. I will join you momentarily." As Alphys wandered off, Gaster turned right, walking into a particularly small room. Furnishings were light, with only a desk, chair and a single bookcase. On the bookcase sat a dusty, yet small book. His old journal.

The pages were still blank. It had been a gift from Amelia, something she had given to him on his birthday before the war. He had never had the heart to write in it, not wanting to use it up, but he figured the time had finally come. He took out his pen, turning to the first page.

"Entry #1: This is it. The time has come to do what Asgore has commanded of me. I will be the one to free us all. I will unleash the power of the soul."


	23. Preperation

"Entry #2: The objective of these experiments it to make a "Super Soldier." A soldier capable of being stronger, faster, and tougher than an average mortal. But to create souls artificially would take years; years that Asgore does not seem to want to wait for. So, we will have to use what we have now, the souls of monsters."

"Entry #3: But even if the monster is stronger, faster, and tougher, its soul will still be weaker. So, we will need to find a way to strengthen the soul of the monster, to make it unkillable if possible. Some human souls have the ability to persist after death longer than others. If only I could find out what it is that makes these souls last…"

**O-o-o-o-o**

Gaster walked through the underground lab, carrying a containment pod with him. It was one of the pods that had served him well when creating Sans and Papyrus's souls, and it was serving its purpose again now. Inside the pod was a dark red soul, more specifically, Chara's.

Asgore had kept Chara's soul, and even though it wasn't in the pod, it had still persisted for an astonishingly long time. The soul had persisted longer than any other Gaster had ever seen. Still, he wasn't prepared to take any chances. He carried it into what he called the "Extraction Room." Alphys was already waiting inside.

In the room was a large machine resembling a sort of animal skull. In the middle of the machine was a special chamber, with tubes extending out the back of it. The tubes led to several vials set up on a rack close by. Alphys was fascinated by the soul.

"I-It's bigger t-than I imagined it would b-be."

Gaster nodded. "Souls, particularly those of humans can vary greatly in size. We do need to be careful though. This is the only soul we have at the moment, and I have no idea what this will do to it."

Alphys nodded in silent agreement. Gaster opened up the pod, placing the soul in the middle of the machine. The machine closed in around the soul. The two scientists stepped back behind a control panel for the machine. They watched as the machine slowly began to power up. Alphys looked down at the gauges, then up at Gaster.

"T-The e-extracter is r-r-ready D-Doctor." Gaster nodded, hovering his thumb over a green button, Alphys moved her finger over a matching one on her end. Gaster nodded.

"On three. One, two, three!" They both pushed the button simultaneously, the machine whirring to life. The skeleton watched with silent anticipation as the machine grew louder and louder, working away at the soul inside. Alphys kept glancing nervously between him and the machine.

Finally he saw something beginning to move through the tubes coming from behind the machine, fluids filling the vials on the rack. Gaster pushed the red shutdown button, and the machine's whines died away. Before he inspected the liquid though, he took the containment pod, opening up the machine.

The soul had lost its colour and was shaking violently. Gaster quickly removed it from the extractor, placing it back in the pod. The machine seemed to stabilize, but he saw the soul begin to rapidly grow misshapen. He dropped the pod and jumped over the control panel. He grabbed Alphys, pulling her down behind the panel with him as the pod exploded. Glass shards flew in all directions.

Cautiously, Gaster got up, looking at the destroyed pod. The soul had disintegrated. The glass thankfully had missed the vials. He stepped over the broken glass towards the vials, wanting to inspect them to make sure they hadn't been compromised. Luckily for him, they weren't.

The vials laid out had been filled with a dark red liquid, matching the colour of the soul. The liquid was murky, and he could see it churning inside the vials. He stuck corks on tops of the vials, detaching the hoses from them as he did so. He then lifted the rack up, not commenting on the success. Neither did Alphys.

"W-What's the n-n-next step?"

Gaster grunted. "Next, we will need subjects. I put out advertisements yesterday for monsters that have...'fallen down'. I have a few possible candidates. I'll be heading out immediately to speak personally to them. I want you to prepare the beds and medical equipment so we can begin as soon as I return.

Alphys nodded as Gaster took the rack, and the containment pod out of the extraction room. He placed the pod in his old study, and the rack in the medical room before heading back to the elevator, letting it take him back up to the surface of Hotland.

**O-o-o-o-o**

Entry #4: I've done it. Using my machine, I've extracted it from the human souls. I believe this is what gives human souls the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living...the resolve to change fate. Let's call this... "Determination."

**O-o-o-o-o**

He knocked on the door of the house, a clipboard tucked under his arm. He nodded solemnly at the monster that opened the door.

"Greetings. I am Doctor Wing Ding Gaster. I understand you were made aware of my arrival?"

The monster, an Ocrine, sighed. "Yes, we were, Doctor, come in."

She stood aside, letting Gaster in. He stood in the front foyer as she walked to the kitchen, calling back to him.

"Would you like some coffee?"

Gaster called back. "No, no thank you!"

She reappeared, holding a mug of coffee, waving her hand to the living room beside them. He followed her in, sitting down across the coffee table from her. He took a piece of paper from the clipboard, sliding it to her.

"First off, I want to offer my condolences to your husband. Now, this new project was ordered by King Asgore himself. That paper goes over our objective, and the procedures we'll be conducting. Now, if it is successful, your husband will not only be cured, but he will be better than he ever was."

She looked up at him. "And if it isn't?"

Gaster looked down, taking a deep breath. "To be honest...I am not sure what the results of a failed experiment would look like. It is most likely however that he...would be killed."

She took a moment, reading over both sides of the paper. Gaster waited patiently. Finally she nodded.

"He has already been given a few days at most. If this has the potential of bringing him back...I'm willing to take it."

Gaster took another paper out, handing both it and a pen to her.

"This is a form stating that you are aware of the potential consequences, and that the process is completely voluntary."

She gave it a quick once-over, before signing it at the bottom. Gaster accepted both papers back.

"Thank you for your time. Your husband will be safely transported later today."

She only nodded. Gaster stood up and left the house. He looked once more through the dozen papers he had collected from other families. The subjects he would use were all extremely close to death. Alphys had raised a point as to why they wouldn't use fully healthy subjects. Gaster countered with the potential consequences, stating that he would rather use monsters that were doomed to die anyways. Though deep down it was simply to ease his own conscience. The forms had all been signed by the subjects themselves, or close relatives if they were unable to.

He walked into his house half an hour later, wanting to collect a few things yet before heading off. As he walked downstairs to the medical room, Sans was waiting for him.

"Hey G."

Gaster grunted. "Hello Sans. I am afraid I do not have the time to talk at the moment."

Sans blocked his path to the medical room. "You've been pretty sneaky here, doc. Don't think I haven't noticed. Come on, what's the big secret?"

Gaster met his eyes. "A simple project, nothing more."

Sans chuckled. "You aren't fooling me. This is definitely not a simple project. Whatever it is, I want to help out with it."

Gaster gritted his teeth. "Sans, you are beginning to annoy me. What I am working on is not meant for you."

Sans rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. You've said I'm one of the smartest monsters around. Why don't you let me help? You've been looking like you could use some."

Gaster saw he wasn't going to win the argument, so he sighed heavily. "Fine. Fine. You can help. But, this project is top secret. You are not meant to discuss it's details, no matter how small, to _anybody_. Not even Papyrus, you understand?"

Sans seemed to brighten at his victory. "Yeah, sure. So what's it all about?" Gaster waited until he had collected his supplies in the medical room, beckoning for Sans to follow him. On the way back to the lab, he filled Sans in of every detail about the project, including Asgore's urgency of it being completed soon. Much to his surprise, Sans took it quite seriously, and he wasn't sure if his child was simply trying to impress him. Alphys looked up as they both descended into the lab. She blinked in surprise at Sans.

"D-D-Doctor Gaster! U-Uhh...I-I was not aware w-w-we would have..._g-guests_ visiting us."

Gaster sighed. "Neither was I. You've probably heard of my son Sans. His intellect is strong enough to rival both of ours. He is going to be assisting us in the experiments.

Alphys nodded. "O-Of course. The f-first bodies came in t-today. The rest should b-b-be arriving tomorrow."

Gaster grunted. "Good. Could you deposit these in the medical room, Doctor Alphys? Then I want you to show Sans around the laboratory and get him a proper coat. It doesn't matter if it's a little big." Alphys hurried forward, taking the supplies from him.

"Yes, D-Doctor Gaster, r-right away."

Gaster watched them go, then wandered into the mass bedroom. The subjects were all asleep. Alphys had already put tags on their ankles, to Gaster's approval. Five bodies in total, just seven more to go. But, this was something that could be taken care of tomorrow.

**O-o-o-o-o**

Entry #5: I've asked all over New Home for monsters that had "Fallen Down." The first bodies arrived today. Some of them have weeks left to live, so our primary focus will be on those that just have days. I tried to select from monsters that worked on the CORE. There were several monsters that sustained severe injuries during the tremor some years ago and during the explosion. I hope I will be able to right my wrongs. Once I know more about "Determination", I will hopefully be able to inject it into the bodies. If it helps revive the monsters to their more natural state before the accidents...then our freedom may be closer than we thought.


	24. The Flower

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**The following chapters, including this one are going to be a touch shorter than the others. Don't worry, the final chapters will be at the usual length.**

* * *

Gaster shook his head in frustration as he flipped through the pages of the textbook. For nearly an hour he had been standing in the palace library, trying to find out more about this new substance he called "Determination." He wasn't quite sure just why he was surprised. If he had never heard of it, why would he expect for there to be scientific knowledge about it? Heavy footsteps approached, and Asgore's voice then spoke close by.

"How goes the project, Doctor Gaster?"

Gaster glanced up, closing the book. "We have made slight progress. I believe I have discovered what allows a human soul to persist. To be more precise, it is what makes them strong. I've been looking through the scientific archives trying to see if there were any more notes on it, but it would appear there are none."

Asgore narrowed his eyes. "Why haven't you started experimenting with it? That would be the easiest way to find more about it, yes?"

The scientist sighed. "We took as much as we could from the human's soul. It shattered once the process was complete, meaning we now have an extremely limited supply. Once we run out, who knows how long it will be before another human falls down? As such, I want to make sure that I know everything there is to know before we throw it around willy nilly."

A growl rumbled in Asgore's throat. "My patience runs thin, Doctor. I did not hire you so you could simply stand around and waste time."

Gaster objected. "Sire, I am hardly wasting time. I am _trying_ to learn more so we can conduct the experiments thorough-"

The king cut him off. "Do not talk back to me! You said so yourself nothing is known about it in the archives. So you are to return to your lab and get to work. I expect results within the week."

It took everything inside Gaster to hold his tongue, simply nodding. Asgore turned around and left. Gaster glanced down at the book, sliding it into its place on the shelf. He frowned as it got caught on something, pulling it back out. He reached inside and found something tucked in behind the books. He pulled out a video camera. Frowning, he looked it over. He decided he would check on its contents alone. He slid the book back into its place properly, tucking the camera under his jacket as he walked away.

* * *

Alphys and Sans both looked up as Gaster walked into the lab. The camera he had left back at his home had been tucked away in his study. He would return to watch its contents later on. Now though, there was work to be done. He nodded to Alphys.

"Doctor Alphys, fetch the DT if you would please? And bring five syringes."

Alphys nodded, leaving the room. Sans and Gaster waited silently until she returned. Gaster then took one of the needles, giving it a tap before explaining what they were about to do.

"Today marks the first official day of the experiments. We are going to be injecting Determination into some of the subjects, particularly those that have just a few days left to live. The others can wait a little longer."

Sans tipped his head. "Why aren't we just injecting all of them?"

Gaster glanced down at him. "Because if something goes wrong with the first five, then we have seven more subjects undamaged. Now you two, let us begin."

They took turns taking the 5 syringes and dipping them in the vials. Each of them filled theirs up only a third of the way. Sans followed Gaster's example of administering the dosage into the subject's right arm just below the shoulder. Once the five injections were complete, the three stepped back and waited. Only...nothing. Sans nudged Gaster.

"Uh...they don't look very different, doc."

This time it was Alphys that spoke. "W-Well Sans, science i-is a very t-t-tricky business. Often in e-experiments, you w-will not see the results i-immediately. It t-t-takes time."

Gaster nodded at his intern. "Well said, Doctor Alphys."

She blushed with a flustered grin at the compliment. Gaster checked his watch, shaking his head with a sigh.

"I have other matters I need to tend to yet today. I need to get one more thing at the palace, I just wanted to come here to make sure the experiments were underway. Keep an eye on them, you two, I should be back in a few hours."

* * *

"Entry #6: The first injections were completed today. Unsurprisingly, the results weren't immediate. I do not know how long I should expect them to take, though my guess is it could be several days yet. I just hope Asgore has the patience to wait that long."

"Entry #7: I wanted to try a sort of side experiment. I have established that Determination is what gives humans the will to keep living. We are already experimenting with the effects on a living monster. But...what would happen to a subject that's neither human...nor monster?"

"Entry #8: I selected the candidate for this secondary project shortly after collecting the subjects for the DT experiments. In the center of Asgore's garden is a golden flower, one larger than all the others. I wonder...what happens when something without a soul gains the will to live?"

* * *

Gaster had already gotten approval from Asgore to use the golden flower from his garden. After their run in earlier today though, he was just hoping Asgore wasn't in the Throne Room. He wasn't in the mood to have another discussion with the king. Luckily for him, he wasn't. From his bag he took out a flower pot and a trowel.

Kneeling down amongst the flowers, Gaster found his target. The spade of the shovel struck the dirt, digging in like a knife in butter. He slowly worked his way around the flower, trying not to cut any of its roots. He frowned as he realized there were a surprising amount of roots for a simple flower. He dug his hands into the dirt around it, lifting the flower up, roots and all, and gently deposited it in the flower pot.

He dusted his hands off, standing up with the flower pot in his arms, and made a quick departure before Asgore could spot him again. He decided to take the long way around to get back to Hotland, not wanting to answer questions about why he was carrying a flower through the city. Despite adding another hour onto his journey, he didn't complain about the silence of the journey. He returned to the lab, and immediately Alphys was curious about the flower.

"I-I fail to see how a s-simply flower can h-h-help us in these e-e-experiments."

Gaster grinned as he set the flower down in his study. As he prepared another syringe, he explained his theory to Alphys.

"I for one am curious about what would happen if we mixed the Determination we have with something that was never alive to begin with. These are experiments, Doctor Alphys. We may as well see just how far we can go. It might even be a breakthrough."

Alphys nodded. "I-I suppose s-so…" She watched as Gaster injected the Determination into the flower's stem, stepping back.

"Now...all we can do is wait." Gaster mumbled, stepping back with folded arms. So, the trio continued to wait anxiously for results, as the days slowly crept by.

* * *

"Entry #9: Things aren't going well. None of the bodies have turned to dust, but there has been no change in any of the subjects' states either. People are starting to ask me what's happening. I don't know what to do."

"Entry #10: Experiments on the flower appear to have failed. It doesn't seem to be any different from the other subjects. Whatever, it's a hassle to work with anyway. The only thing that's changed is the seeds sticking to me and not letting go."

"Entry #11: Earlier in the week I conducted more research on human souls, trying to see if there was anything more to learn about Determination. During my search I discovered a video camera hidden away. Today I worked up the nerve to look at its contents. I don't dare write here what was on them. I don't think Asgore's watched them. I don't think he should."


	25. Lethal Injection

"Entry #12: Nothing is happening, I don't know what to do. I'll just keep injecting everything with Determination. I want this to work."

* * *

Gaster set the journal down. He rubbed his eyes as he looked over to the flower sitting in the pot on the desk beside him. He had already given it a second injection, and it had yielded no results. He stood up, heading to the bodies in the bedroom. He walked between the rows of beds. He looked up as he heard the elevator coming down. Alphys appeared a moment later in the room, blinking in surprise when she saw him.

"D-Doctor G-Gaster! How long h-have you been here?"

Gaster grunted. "I never left."

Alphys nodded slowly. "I-I see. W-Was there any c-change in the subjects?"

Gaster shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Asgore is beginning to get more and more on my case these past couple days about getting results. I say we administer another injection to all the subjects."

Alphys was uncertain. "B-But...t-they already have two doses in them! M-Maybe we just need to give them time?"

Gaster's tone was unchanging. "I understand this, Doctor Alphys, but unfortunately time is something we do not have. We need the results soon."

Alphys was still reluctant. "Doctor G-Gaster...another dosage t-t-to all the subjects w-w-would use t-the last of the D-Determination we have!"

Gaster was silent for a brief moment. "Then we must hope it is enough."

He walked back to his study and froze. The flowerpot lay shattered on the floor, and the flower was nowhere in sight.

* * *

"Entry #13: The flower's gone."

"Entry #14: We've used the last of our Determination for a third and final dosage on the subjects. If we do not see results within 48 hours, I will officially declare the experiments a failure."

* * *

The hours began to tick by. Sans and Alphys took turns watching over the subjects as they laid motionless. Gaster was still trying to find out what had happened to the flower. All three of them were mystified by its sudden disappearance. Sans's head jerked up as he saw a twitch from one of the beds. He got up from the chair, cautiously walking over. He got close enough just in time to see their eyes start to blink open. He immediately called out.

"Hey G! You're going to want to get in here!"

Gaster walked quickly into the room, and Sans pointed to the body. Gaster made his way over to the subject, a wide grin appearing on his face. He spoke softly to Sans.

"Run and get Doctor Alphys, Sans, and also bring back one of the meals we prepared."

As Sans ran off to get Alphys, the subject groaned. "W...What's happening…"

Gaster gently patted the subject's shoulder. "Don't worry, my friend. You are perfectly safe here. You've been asleep for over a week. Myself and my colleagues have been making efforts to help cure you. How do you feel?"

The subject grunted, trying to sit up. "A bit weird. Like I've got extra energy but I don't want to use it."

Gaster chuckled, knowing that was the Determination in his soul, though did not mention this. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you feel normal in no time." He quickly took his journal out, writing a short entry.

"Entry #15: One of the bodies opened its eyes." It was all he had time to write before he saw movement from one of the other beds. His grin widened every minute, at last he had a success.

* * *

"Entry #16: Everybody that had fallen down has woken up. I was beginning to think they were goners."

"Entry #17: The experiments appear to have been a success. I didn't want to get my hopes up when the first monster woke up, but it's been four days and nothing has seemed out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they were necessarily "improved" in any way. So, it would appear this research was a dead end. Oh well, at least we got a happy ending out of it. I've notified all the families and let them know their loved ones will be returning home tomorrow, barring any complications. I will continue to monitor the subjects though for a couple of weeks to see if there are any new circumsta-"

He frowned as he heard a loud smash from the bedroom. Getting up, he walked into the room, and froze. One of the subjects was thrashing wildly on the bed. Alphys was struggling to hold him down. There were three subjects missing, but that was not his priority. He rushed over, helping Alphys to keep him down.

"What's going on, Doctor Alphys?!"

Alphys looked utterly terrified. "I-I-I don't know! H-He just started s-s-spasming!"

The subject shrieked in pain, but it sounded utterly alien. One of the other subjects came over, wanting to help.

"What can I do?"

Before Gaster could respond, a hand flashed out from the subject they were holding down, grabbing onto the second. Alphys backed up in shock when she saw the hand start to melt to the other subject. Gaster backed up as well as now the second subject joined the first's tormented cries. He could tell that the worst was still coming. He shoved Alphys towards the elevator.

"Out! Now!" The two of them rushed to the elevator, allowing for it to yank them up to the top floor. Once outside, Gaster began to pace in a tight circle. Alphys was still shivering.

"W-What just...happened?"

Gaster grunted. "I have a theory...I believe, perhaps...the Determination helped to revive them but...was too much for their souls to handle. So instead of strengthening their souls...we overloaded them." Another realization struck him. "Where's Sans?"

Alphys brought her hands to her mouth as she realized, speaking quietly. "H...H-He...H-He's still i-i-in there w-w-with th-them!"

Gaster took a deep breath. "Right...alright. I'm going back in there to get him out. I want you to stay outside and out of harm's way."

Before she could protest, Gaster turned back to the lab, walking inside. As the elevator was taking him down, the lights above him flickered, then cut out altogether, forcing the elevator to a grinding halt. Gaster grunted and jumped up and down in the light box, forcing it down the final few feet until he could crawl through the small gap to the lab's floor.

All around the lights flickered. He heard the sound of equipment shattering elsewhere in the lab. He poked his head around to the bedroom and saw a creature straight out of a nightmare. A ghostly creature, with two eyes on the far sides of what he assumed was its head. The mouth ran vertically down half of its body, jagged teeth visible before it turned back, floating away.

Gaster found himself shaking. The subjects appeared to have melted into each other to become those...things. Whatever they were, they were not monsters anymore. They were something else. He continued to creep through the lab, concern for his son driving him forward.

He rounded the bend into the medical room, and there was Sans, standing bravely face-to-face with another of the creatures. This one seemed to resemble a bird, but it had an unnaturally long neck, and the head was tilted sideways on it. Sans spotted him but held out a hand, warning him to stay there. His voice was calm.

"Don't worry G, they don't want to hurt us. They're just scared, ain't that right?" He looked to the beast which gave a sort of nod. Gaster frowned, almost able to recognize emotion from the creature. Gaster spoke quietly.

"Sans, we need to go. It isn't safe down here right now. We'll discuss a plan of action when we're out."

Sans sighed, then nodded. He waved at the creature. "I need to go, alright? Don't worry, Doctor Alphys and I will be back and we'll try to fix this."

The creature let out an indescribable sound, but almost seemed to be accepting of this. Once Sans was within reach, Gaster grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the elevator, helping him crawl through the gap back into it. Gaster followed suit. The two of them used their magic to help lift the elevator up, though it meant the scientist was exhausted when he reached the top.

Once outside the three of them stood in utter shock, nobody quite sure of what to say. Alphys was the first to break the silence.

"W-What...do we tell the families?"

Gaster huffed, not sure what to think. "Nothing. We tell them nothing."

Sans looked to Gaster. "Uh, G? We've got to tell them something…"

The scientist's glare shot to him. "What do you suppose we tell them?! That their loved ones melted into horrors you could hardly dream of?! Tell me how that is supposed to help them! No. What we need to do is control this. Sans, you seemed to connect to...one of them. If they really are just scared, then we can work with them. Alphys, I want you to start working on finding a cure for this. But first, I want you to go to the CORE tonight and see if there's something there that can restore the power. Until we fix this, that lab remains sealed to the public. _Nobody_ except us goes in or out. Not even his majesty. Speaking of which, I will need to go to him and explain that the tests are a failure. As of this moment, those tests are over." Alphys and Sans glanced at each other, then nodded in silent agreement. Gaster nodded abruptly.

"Glad to see we are on the same page. I will make my visit to King Asgore at once. Doctor Alphys, Sans." He began to stalk towards New Home, leaving his two assistants to begin fixing the disaster.

* * *

"Entry #18: no NO NO NO NO NO NO"


	26. The Last Straw

With every step Gaster took into New Home, his nerves continued to climb higher and higher. He dreaded the coming discussion with Asgore. All he could do was hope that the king would be understanding of their situation. He slowed his pace as he entered the palace, trying to delay the inevitable. Still, his feet carried him to the Throne Room, where Asgore sat in his throne. Gaster forced himself to stand up straighter.

"Good evening, your highness."

Asgore grunted. "Doctor Gaster. Have you had more success with the experiments?"

Gaster shook his head. "That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I have taken action to completely shut down the experiments."

Asgore was immediately enraged. He arose, glaring down. "You _what_?!"

Gaster moved to defend himself. "Yes, your majesty. The success was short-lived, and we have run out of necessary materials to run further experiments, in particular human souls."

Asgore growled. "I believe you can bring the success back, Doctor. I will see that the next human soul is delivered to you immediately so you can resume."

Gaster shouted, "They _died_, your majesty! The subjects are dead! The Determination from Chara's soul revived them, and then killed them! I _watched_ them as they writhed in pain, succumbing to it! Every. Last. One of them is gone! Sire, don't you see the madness behind all of this?! We are playing with something that was never meant to be played with! Further experimentation will lead to _nothing_ but ruin! I have decided to shut down these experiments, and I will _not_ be continuing them even if you order me to do so. I refuse to continue to hurt other monsters when I know it is unnecessary. We'll find another way."

Asgore turned away, and was silent for the longest time. Gaster straightened his lab coat, taking a deep breath. He then looked back up at the king as he stood dead still and silent in the throne room. Finally he spoke.

"I see. If this is your final decision...then I shall respect it. You are free to go."

Gaster sighed with relief, nodding. "Thank you, your majesty."

As he was leaving, Asgore said one more sentence. "Oh, and Doctor Gaster...consider yourself to be relieved of your duties."

Gaster froze as the words slammed into him like a freight train. He spun around. "B-But...you can't do that!"

Asgore turned on him. "Really? I can't? I am your king, in case you have forgotten. I can do as I please. This 'failure' of yours was the last straw. Now go."

As Asgore walked away, Gaster stared after him, his jaw hanging open. Choking back tears, Gaster turned around, letting himself out of the throne room, trying to hold back his emotions. He took the most direct route home, not caring who saw him. A few people noticed he was distressed and tried to ask him what was wrong, but he never even acknowledged them. He felt like the walk would never end.

Once reached his house, he walked upstairs immediately to his study. He sat down at the desk, shaking his head as he opened his journal, beginning to write. Once he was finished, he left the journal open, again exiting the house.

* * *

Sans glanced up as he heard the front door slam again with Gaster leaving the house. He found himself wandering upstairs, where something caught his eye. The door to Gaster's study was open, something unusual. Intrigued, Sans walked into the study, spotting the open journal immediately. He picked it up, beginning to read the page.

"To my sons, Sans and Papyrus. If you are reading this, then I am now dead. There are many factors for my decisions that night, but I assure you that none of them involved you. You two were my pride and joy, and it was not your fault. Life had decided to be unusually harsh to me, and to be frank, I was unable to cope with it any longer. I do wish you two all the best going forward. If you ever need anything, I want you to ask Doctor Alphys first. King Asgore is not in a good place. His judgement is clouded. Be mindful of any decisions he may want to make for you. I hope that one day we will see each other again, in a better place. Be good my children. - Wing Ding Gaster.

Sans shivered as he read the note. He immediately had an idea where Gaster would go. Not wasting any time, he charged down the stairs and out the front door, turning left towards the CORE. He took off at full speed, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

He reached the CORE having not slowed his pace at all. He raced through the front door, charging up the stairs. At the top he collided with Alphys, just on her way out. She let out a startled yelp, stumbling back.

"S-Sans! What's...W-What's the rush?"

Sans spoke frantically. "Gaster! Have you seen him?!"

Alphys nodded, a confused look on her face. "Y-Yes! I-I just ran into h-h-him when he was g-going to the t-top level of the C-CORE! Why, w-what's-?"

Sans didn't let her finish, sprinting past her. She dropped her things and began to run after him. "H-Hey, wait! W-What's wrong?"

Sans never stopped to explain, taking the stairs to get to the highest level. At the top he instinctively turned left, through a door that led to a catwalk outside. Sure enough, as he burst through the door, he saw Doctor Gaster just stepping over the railing of the walkway to stand precariously on the edge. Alphys gasped in shock, her hands moving to her mouth as she saw it. Sans called to him.

"G, _wait!_" Gaster turned around, his back facing the drop below as he looked up to Sans.

"You should not have come here, Sans."

Sans and Alphys cautiously edged nearer as Sans tried to reason with him. "Is this about the experiments?! We can find a way to fix it, doc, we just need more time!"

Gaster gave a sad chuckle. "Oh, Sans...there is so much that you do not know about…"

Sans reached a hand out, trying to grab Gaster's arm to pull him back as he got even closer. "Well...why don't you talk to us about it?! We can help to fix this!"

Gaster shook his head. "Sans, there are many wounds beneath these bones. Many of them you cannot see. As such, these are wounds that can never be healed. I have made so many mistakes over my life. Sans...do not make the same mistakes I made."

Time slowed down. Gaster placed his right hand on the left of his chest, and his left behind his back. He leaned back, falling off the catwalk. Sans heard himself scream.

"No! _NO!_" He didn't realize his feet propelling him forward. He heard Alphys's cry. "Sans, wait!" Sans dove forward. He sailed over the railing. He tried to pull him up but Gaster was out of reach of his magic. A hand grabbed onto his ankle, stopping him short. He was forced to watch as Gaster fell into the magma pools below, disappearing from sight.

Alphys grunted, pulling with all her might as she dragged Sans back over to the safe side of the railing. Sans then began to weep. Alphys held him close, clearly in shock herself. She tried to comfort him.

"I...I-It's...g-g-going...t-to be a-alright…" The words did nothing to calm Sans, as tears ran from his cheeks.

* * *

Eight days. Sans had counted. Eight days since Gaster's death. He found himself wandering the house for the final time. Alphys and Asgore had both worked in the days after the tragedy to try and get the two skeletons a new home, one where they wouldn't be reminded of the tragic events. They had found an option in Snowdin, and both skeletons were eager to move in.

Sans was doing a final check around the house, wanting to make sure they didn't leave anything important behind. As he walked into Gaster's study, he once again saw the journal.

Out of his own curiosity, Sans turned the journal to the first page. He slowly read through the first page, then the second, then the ninth. He skipped through it, growing more and more fascinated with each passing second. He then reached the massive complex equations that took up whole pages of the journal. It looked completely ludicrous but at the same time…

"It...sort of makes sense…" Sans mumbled. He felt a chill run through him and he looked behind him. He couldn't help but feel like something was watching him, though from where he could not possibly know. Shaking it off, he tucked the journal into his backpack. Perhaps it would come in handy down the road. As he left the house, he couldn't help but think he heard faint whispers in his head.

* * *

_**AUTHORS NOTE**_

**That's it! Sole Sufferer is finally brought to a close. Are there unanswered questions? Yes. Absolutely. But, the Undertale: Chronicle AU is quite long, with at least 6 more stories to be completed, INCLUDING Nothing Lost, No One Blamed. Rest assured, all will be come clear with time. Talk to you guys in the next one!**

**-Nolan J. Rempel**


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